Silent whispers for help
by Honniing
Summary: Light has finally regained his memories and been released from the handcuffs, but how will he react to the sudden return of all the terrible memories? and how will L react to the sudden change in Light? LxLight
1. chapter 1: despair

**PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO REVIEW:**

**Ok, so this is quite the emo-story, but oh well, we all love some drama. So the thing is, the first part of the story Is extremely similar to something that has happened to me in real life, yes; I used to cut myself, and I kept it secret, (for anyone who dares considering it; I'm not, and have never been an "emo attention whore", I used to cut myself because my life were difficult for me at the time) and I have tried to explain the feeling here. Also the reason I stopped cutting myself were in fact that I met this sweet girl, and we became friends at once, and she used to wear t-shirts and stuff, and when she did I could clearly see scars on her arm. So after I had seen the scars I actually became super confused, and depressed for a week, not knowing what to do, but I finally asked her about it, and she said without any reservations, that she use to cut herself. This sort of shocked me into letting it slip that I cut myself, and she was really understanding, and listened to me talking out for about 3 hours, after that I have only had 2 breakdowns, and it is a few months ago now, so I'm definitely improving. So, I was supposed to say that I really don't want anyone to say that there is something wrong with the way that I have tried to portray the difficult feelings here, because it may be different from person to person, but this is more or less the feelings I had.**

**Disclaimer: if I owned Death note, L and Light would be ruling the world together and have hot sex in the anime/manga, so if you have watched the anime/read the manga, and can't remember them doing either, then you have the answer. **

-x-

_It feels like I'm falling… I know that what I'm doing is wrong… NO! I'm god! I'm justice! … or am I? … I'm falling deeper and deeper… I don't remember… why did I start killing people again? … hahah, you are pathetic Light Yagami! No I'm kira… or am I? am I both kira and Light? Am I a killing machine? NO! I don't wanna kill people! Please… someone… save me…_

Light Yagamis thoughts swirled around in his head, he tried to push them away, but lately that had proven difficult… he turned on the water in the shower and stepped in. he reached for the soap, but his hand caught something sharp, it was a barber razor… he looked at it in wonder, turning it gingerly around in his hand, looking at it from every angle. He wasn't even sure why he was doing it; there were a lot of things he wasn't sure of anymore. Suddenly his hand slipped and the barber razor cut him in his palm. The red blood trickled down along his arm, blending with the water giving the water a pink hue. The moment he felt the pain all his confusing thoughts disappeared for a moment and all that existed was the pain. It had felt so wonderful, but only seconds later all the thoughts had come crashing back into his brain even worse than before. Light began sobbing, it was too much; the maddening knowledge drove him mad, he couldn't stand it. He lifted the barber razor to his eyes, as If studying it. He held his left arm up, and slashed the underside of his arm. He cut fairly deep and the blood coloured the water red this time. His mind cleared and once again all that existed were his pain. There were no past or future, only the present, and the present were careless and beautiful. His eyesight began to blur so he carefully turned off the water before he sank down to the floor, unconscious.

-x-

*knock, knock, knock*

Light awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door; he was half lying half sitting on the floor in the shower. His arm throbbed painfully and a little blood still trickled from the wound on his arm, first his thoughts were a complete mess and he couldn't remember anything, then it all came back to him; he was a killer. He couldn't suppress a small sob escaping his lips and this of course, did not go unnoticed by the person standing outside.

"Light-kun? Are you alright? You have been in there for quite a while now" said L in his normal monotone voice. Light took a deep calming breath, willing his voice to sound normal, there were no way he could tell L, even if L were the three best detectives in the world, and a genius he couldn't possibly understand the agony Light were feeling.

"I'm sorry Ryuuzaki, I slipped on the wet floor and fainted, but i didn't get hurt, I just have a small swelling in the back of my head, nothing serious." Light said, attempting to sound convincing. He hoped with all his heart that it had worked, he wasn't sure why, but nobody could know what he had just done…

"I have a medical degree, I could look at your head just to be certain that there is no serious damage, or a concussion" L said. Light wasn't sure but he though he heard a hint of worry in the normally so bored voice.

"no thanks, I'm fine" Light said, he couldn't think of any better reassurances at the moment.

"if you say so.. Either way, I came to tell you that a minor fire broke out in part of the building, there were no serious damage so we don't have to evacuate, but the elevator and the stairs are unstable, and I would prefer keeping everyone on the taskforce in the first floor, so that we won't have to use either. And since you, Watari and I are staying in this building, and we only have two rooms on this floor I would request that you sleep with me until the damage is repaired. Is this a problem?" L said. Light could never tell with L, but sometimes he wondered if the guy ever bothered drawing breath while talking, he just went on and on.

"so it'll just be like before we removed the handcuffs, except now you know I'm…" Light trailed off, his throat constricted, he couldn't say it, he just couldn't…

"now I know that you are, what Light-kun?" L said, his voice suddenly sharp.

"nothing, I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to dry myself and get dressed, then I'll go to bed."

Light heard L shuffle away, and as soon as he knew L was out of earshot he let go, he began sobbing uncontrollably, he wasn't even sure why, it just hurt, everything hurt, he didn't want to feel such pain. It tore him apart from the inside, it drove him mad, he didn't want to know, but he knew, there were no turning back at that point… a miracle would have to happen for him to be able to turn back.

Light lifted himself from the floor, everything began swaying, or was it him? Either way he leaned on the wall and held his head in an attempt to steady himself and make the dizziness go away. It worked, though he wasn't sure how much holding his head had helped, but he didn't really bother thinking too much about it.

He walked slowly over to the sink and looked at his reflection. He was deathly pale. He saw that he swayed a little back and forth but he managed to keep standing as he slowly dried off the water. He looked at his arm, it had stopped bleeding, and he had been in the shower, so the risk for infection was low, so he didn't bother cleaning the wound properly. He pulled on the clothes he had prepared before the shower and combed his hair, just like he always did. He did all this on auto-pilot, because he didn't want to think. He only focused on keeping his mind blank… he had to… he felt as if he would break if he didn't.

When he had finished dressing he just stood there, staring into the mirror. He still looked pale, but he didn't sway anymore. He just stared into his golden eyes that everyone admired. His eyes were puffy, and it was obvious that he had been crying. Suddenly his eyes widened considerably, his eyes weren't golden brown anymore, they had turned a deep shade of red, just like… blood. He stared. His reflections' mouth twisted upwards into a cruel smile. Light staggered backwards, and the reflection did the same, suddenly looking like him again.

Light hurried out of the bathroom, not daring to be in the presence of the mirror anymore. He walked as fast as he could – without fainting – to L's bedroom and entered.

L sat on the bed with his laptop in his lap, for once sitting like a normal person. Maybe a little too much hunched forward to be comfortable for anyone but him, but still far from his normal posture. When Light entered L looked up from his work, and immediately he tensed. Light had never looked that haunted and weak, not even when he had been imprisoned for more than a month.

Light noticed L's sudden alertness and tried to calm him by smiling, this turned out more as a grimace, and it definitely didn't calm L.

"Light, are you sure you are ok? You look terrible" L said, not even bothering hiding his worry, Light were his friend after all, and one worried for ones friends if they were in trouble.

"I told you I just have a small swelling in my head. If I get some sleep I will be... completely…" _fine…_ Light never finished the sentence as everything went black once again.

L's eyes widened as his friend began swaying dangerously as he talked. He put his laptop aside and walked cautiously closer to Light, as if hurrying would scare him away. Then he saw Light close his eyes and he ran over just in time to catch him before he hit the floor.

L picked up Light bridal style and carried him over to the bed and put him down. When he looked closer L saw the distinct redness around Lights eyes, signalising that Light had been crying. This alerted L, and he began checking Lights body.

He started with the head, feeling for the swelling Light had told him about, but it weren't there. He checked his neck, no wounds. A thin red line caught his eyes and he picked up Lights left hand and studied his palm, there were a small wound made by something very sharp there.

L sat staring at Lights hand for a few minutes, unsure if it would be rude of him to undress Light, but he decided that Lights health came before his pride. So L, with some trouble managed to pull off all of lights clothes except his boxers. The sight that met L shocked him; on the underside of Lights Left arm there where a long deep wound, which Light – by the look of it – had gotten within the last hours.

_Is the wound self-inflicted? Or did he obtain it by accident? No, it is definitely self-inflicted, or else he wouldn't have lied about it. Why Light? Why did you do something like that to yourself? And why does it feel like my heart is going to break knowing that you have done such a thing? What on earth could possibly have driven you to harm yourself?_

L didn't know what to do. Did he want Light to know that he knew? Or would it make thing worse for Light? What were he supposed to do?

L finally came to the conclusion that he would pretend he didn't know. He carefully dressed Light again, and just as he finished with the last button on Lights shirt, Light stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"Ryuuzaki?" he said groggily, not completely aware of his surroundings yet.

"yes Light, you fainted, so I carried you to bed, you should try to get some sleep, you look like you need it." L said matter-of-factly, all trace of worry gone from his voice.

This however, alerted Light; he looked sharply at L, but decided to let it be. "Do you have a pair of pyjamas I can borrow?" Light asked instead.

"no, but you can borrow one of my sweaters at least, they are just as comfortable."

"I guess it will have to do." L's lack of questions about him wanting to sleep in pyjamas worried Light even more; the two of them had after all been handcuffed together for quite a while, and L knew fully well that Light only slept in his boxers.

Light took the offered sweater and turned away from L. He reached for the top button and looked down in wonder, the buttons had been buttoned up oddly, so that the top button didn't have a hole, and the bottom hole didn't have a button. Light would never have done that so why…? Sudden realisation hit him painfully and it took all the willpower Light could muster to not begin crying again. Two words repeated themselves inside Lights head over as he slowly buttoned down his shirt and changed into the soft sweater:

_L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows,_ _L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows, L knows…_

Light felt tears streaming down his face again, he couldn't bear it. Why? L knew, so why hadn't he said anything? Why didn't he offer him some help…? or support…? or anything? Light folded his shirt and jeans neatly, and put them on the chair standing next to the bed, all the while keeping his head bowed down to hide his tears. He lay down on the bed facing away from L, and cried silently until he finally succumbed to sleep.

L could see Lights body shake lightly, and knew that he were crying. L couldn't name his relief when Lights breathing slowed and he finally fell asleep, it hurt so much to know that Light was in pain...

-x-

**If you like it and want me to continue please add to favourites/story alert and/or review, IF YOU REVIEW PLEEEEAAASSEEEEE READ THE AUTHOR NOTE AT THE BEGINNING! 3**

**Author notes are always kinda awkward, so I'll try to keep them short from now on :3**


	2. Chapter 2: why?

**Guess what? Now I've got a beta-reader! Yay! I found one much faster than expected… or, actually, my beta sort of found me and my story I guess. X3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own death note, I never did and I never will… unfortunately…**

-x-

L hadn't slept at all that night. Well, he rarely really slept, but every night he would let his mind and body relax for half an hour or so. It weren't exactly like sleeping, but very close, the biggest difference being that he would still be conscious and aware of his surroundings. That night he had been wide awake, staring at Light.

Had Light always looked that small and fragile…? L couldn't stop repeating the same question over and over in his head; why? Why? Why?

Light didn't sleep nearly as calmly and deeply as he usually did, he thrashed back and forth, and L could see the pain and confusion etched into Light's face every time he turned towards him. He wanted to do something to help, but he had no idea what he could do; He had tried imagining himself in Light's situation, but he couldn't, he had never felt such extreme levels of pain, neither mentally nor physically.

L had grown up in an orphanage called "Whammy's Orphanage for exceptional children", he had been safe there. His future had been well planned, he had never had money problems, in fact, he was rich, and Watari had always taken very well care of L…

L couldn't even begin to imagine what could drive a person to cut themselves. This was the reason he had chosen to keep quiet about it, he didn't know what it was like, and that would definitely be Light's main argument if he tried to "meddle in his affairs".

L sighed, and looked at the watch hanging on the wall next to the door; 04:00 am. No point in wasting time. He made to stand up when a hand closed around his wrist. He looked down and saw the other occupant on his bed holding his wrist. L was about to ask what it was when he noticed that Light was still sleeping, and what more; he was crying.

Then Light began muttering words in between his sobbing; "Someone… please… help me… I need help… please save me… please… someone…" L looked down at the beautiful and broken creature lying on the bed beside him. He felt so helpless, he had no idea what to do, it was all so confusing and difficult and… he couldn't even properly put it into words. L couldn't take it anymore; he wrenched his hand out of Lights grasp and hurried out of the room. He went straight to the main room and turned on one of the computers before he began working fiercely on the case.

-x-

Light woke up to an empty room. His pillow and cheeks were wet; he had been crying in his sleep. But he felt calmer than he had done the day before; the helplessness had lifted a little bit and he felt like he could go on living… at least for a little while…

He dressed in the same clothes he had used last night; he had after all only been wearing them from the shower to the bedroom, so they were more or less completely clean. After dressing Light went to the bathroom, there he combed his hair and brushed his teeth. When he had finished his morning routine he stopped in front of the mirror and looked at it in wonder, nothing happened. So having confirmed that the mirror in the bathroom were in fact completely normal, Light headed for the kitchen to make himself breakfast.

Never having had a very good appetite in the morning Light made his usual breakfast: cereal. He decided to add a little extra sugar that morning since he hadn't slept to well, and needed a little extra energy.

When Light had finished his breakfast he went into the main room and found L deeply concentrated in his work. As he looked at L, tapping furiously at the keyboard, he felt a jolt of pain in his chest, and couldn't help but wonder; why? Why doesn't L say anything? Why doesn't L try to help me?

Light willed all thoughts away; it was all he could do to stop the painful feeling in his chest. He sat down and began working on the case, knowing fully well that no matter what he did he wouldn't get anywhere unless he turned himself in. but he wouldn't dare do such a thing, he wouldn't want to risk spending a lifetime in jail.

L and Light worked in silence for hours, the silence growing more and more uncomfortable around them until L decided to say something.

"Light how are you feeling today?" that was probably the worst thing L could have said, Light stiffened in his seat, not daring to look at L. He knew that L knew, so why couldn't he just ask directly?

"I'm fine…" Light said quietly.

L had no idea how to go on with the conversation, so they both fell silent again. Then both spoke at the same time;

"Why …" they said, but stopped when they heard the other talking.

"You go first Light-kun" L said politely.

"It's nothing important, you first Ryuuzaki" Light said smiling weakly at L.

"It's nothing…"

After that they couldn't start up a conversation again and the rest of the day passed in complete silence between the two of them.

-x-

Later that night Light found himself studying the mirror again, he looked steadily into his own eyes, mentally daring them to change to the blood red colour they had been for a few seconds the evening before. His eyes however stubbornly stayed the golden brown colour he had been born with.

As his eyes didn't seem to change, Light let his thoughts wander; something he would regret soon after. His thoughts went to L, the complicated and at the same time simple creature that lived behind his computers, who never showed his identity to anyone, except for the kira investigation task force.

Light wanted to know everything about L; he wanted to be the only one who could say that he knew everything about the stoic detective. As Light thought this he began to wonder, why? Why indeed did he crave to know so much about the detective? Why now that his mind once again had been tainted by the murderous notebook he both loathed and relied on as his life source?

Even though he kept asking himself all those questions, he knew. Deep down Light knew fully well why he wanted to know L. It was all because of L's mind. That deep and complicated maze of thoughts, that no-one yet had explored except the detective himself.

Never in his life had Light ever met anyone equal to himself, and now he had found someone who might even be above him. It both scared and thrilled Light to have someone to compete on equal terms with.

Light began thinking about his plans for the nearest future, if things went according to plan L would die very soon. Did Light want L to die? Did he want to lose his only form of competition?

As Light thrashed his thoughts about the detective back and forth, turning them around and trying his very best to find the answers to his questions, he grew more and more confused. Light felt some of the feeling of despair he had felt yesterday return. He walked in circles on the bathroom floor, clutching his head, not ready to give up on his thoughts just yet.

As Light wandered around in the small bathroom a sudden thought hit him, and he came to an abrupt halt in front of the mirror: What right do I even have to know anything about L? I'm keeping half of my identity a secret from him… What right do I have to pry in his private life when he hardly knows anything crucial about me?

As this new terribly painful thought had appeared in Lights mind, he noticed a sudden change in his reflection in the mirror; The Light in the mirror had blood coloured eyes and a sick twisted smile only a mad-man would be able to produce. Light stared shocked into his reflection, and his reflection stared back, laughing silently at Lights expression. Then the reflection lifted both of his hands, and began stretching out of the mirror towards Light. Shocked Light jumped back, and so did the reflection, once again looking like Light, exactly as it had done the day before.

This time Light moved slowly closer to the mirror, and looked carefully at it, trying to figure out what he just had seen, but he couldn't think of any good explanations, so he slowly retreated from the bathroom and went to the bedroom, where L already sat on the bed working on his laptop, just like last night.

When Light entered L looked up from his work, Light didn't look as bad as he had been when he entered the evening before, so L assumed that he hadn't cut himself. L stared at Light, trying to decide whether he should ask about it or not, but came to the conclusion that for the time being, he would let Light decide how much he would share with L. instead L chose to ask a different question.

"Light-kun, what do you see me as?" L asked, turning his calculating eyes towards Light.

Light looked puzzled at this.

"What do you mean, Ryuuzaki?"

"Do you see me as L the detective, or Ryuuzaki your friend, or something entirely different?"

"Oh, um, you are my friend right?" Light said, not really sure if L was testing him or just curious.

"I see, I also see you as my friend. Friends engage in different activities together, to entertain themselves, and deepen their bond of friendship, am I correct?" L said, tilting his head quizzically to emphasise the question.

"Yes they do…" Light said, seeing where the situation was heading.

"Then would you like to play a game of chess with me before you go to bed tonight, Light-kun?"

I knew it… "I'm really sorry Ryuuzaki, but I don't feel up to it, I would like to sleep now, maybe we can play tomorrow or something." Light said dismissively before he went to bed. He wouldn't be able to stand it: playing a friendly game with L. he didn't deserve for L to be so kind to him, he were after all nothing but a murderer, and L would soon be nothing but a dead body…

"If you say so Light-kun, I will ask you again tomorrow." L said, refocusing on his laptop as Light began to undress and pull on the cotton sweater L let him use when he slept.

-x-

Days passed…

Days became weeks…

Every day Light would stare in the mirror. Every day His reflection would change and reach out for him, he would jump back and his reflection would return to normal.

After being in the bathroom Light would go into the bedroom, and L would ask him to do something together. Light would refuse and then go to bed.

Some days Lights thoughts were extra unstable, and he would find knives extremely appealing, because he knew that the pain would free him, even if it were only for a few moments.

L would watch his friend walk slowly into the bedroom, white as a ghost, change slowly and then go to sleep.

It hurt L; watching his friend destroying himself, but he didn't dare interfere, because he had no idea how Light would react. Would it help Light at all if L said something? Or would it make him worse?

The days passed, each more and more similar to the previous one, Light more often succumbing to the temptation to cut himself, until one day, in his haze after yet again losing a lot of blood, he waited in front of the mirror, until his reflection changed.

His reflections eyes became blood red and its mouth twisted into a sick smile. It lifted both hands and began reaching for Light, but this time Light didn't jump away, as he had done all the other times. Light waited to see what his reflection would do next.

His reflection began leaning out of the mirror, reaching further and further until his hands closed around Lights neck. To late did Light realize what his reflection intended to do; he felt the hands tighten around his neck, cutting off his breathing. Light clawed desperately at the hands, and the pain doubled, as the hands tightened even further. Light saw blood trickle down the mirror-Lights hands, steadily increasing in amount, as the pain in around his neck steadily became more and more unbearable.

Light fought against the strong hands, but as the seconds became minutes he felt himself growing numb, and finally he lost consciousness.

-x-

**Super dramatic stuff going on in this story! What the hell is up with that mirror? I guess we all have to wait and see what my hands decide to write in the next chapter! X3**

**If you liked the story… you know what to do. If you think that something could have been better or you simply want to leave little message, then feel free to review/comment the story, it will be highly appreciated, and a great motivation to update more often. ;3**


	3. Chapter 3: realization

**Enjie – my beta-reader – has helped me with improving my story, pointing out holes in the plot and stuff, and it has really helped me a lot, just felt like mentioning how grateful I am to this amazing person. :3**

**And then ForLaughter wrote a looong (lovely) review, and pointed out a major mistake I did in the last chapter… so for those too lazy to read it themselves, the main content was about the description of L's feelings at some point, which contradicted themselves, because I wrote something about L never having felt such great pain before, and then in the next paragraph I wrote that he had been raised at an orphanage. So it's too late to fix it now, but let's assume that L had never known his parents, and that Roger and Quillsh wammy had been his parent figures.**

-x-

L sat in his bed, expecting Light to appear looking pale and weak any moment, but as Light didn't appear L began to worry. L tried to think of a reason as to why Light hadn't finished his 'routine' in the bathroom, but all the ideas he could come up with worried him even further rather than reassuring him.

After waiting for Light for half an hour more, L decided that he had to check what the other teen was doing. He got up from the bed and walked towards the bathroom in his normal hunched posture.

When he reached the bathroom, the door was locked, as it had been the day he had told Light about the fire that had made the elevator and the stairs unsafe to use. At that time he hadn't known anything about Lights troubled mind… he still didn't know anything about Lights troubled mind, only that; that it was troubled.

L knocked on the door, waiting for a reply; there were none.

"Light? Are you there?" L called thorough the door, but he still got no reply. After knocking and calling several more times without any reply from Light, L knew that something was wrong.

Should I call Watari? I don't want to expose Light's secret to anyone, it is up to him to do so, and if Light is lying passed out on the floor from blood loss it would make the situation quite obvious…

L decided that he would try to get into the bathroom on his own. He considered lock picking, but decided against it; it would take too much time. So after considering back and forth between his options L decided that he would simply kick down the door.

L stepped a little back, calculating how far away from the door he would have to stand for it to be easiest to break it. When he had done the mental part of the task he took a deep breath, placed his hands on the floor and kicked the door as hard as he could manage. The hinges gave in to the pressure, and the entire door slammed down on the bathroom floor.

L ran into the bathroom limping slightly from the pain in his foot. He looked to his left, where he knew the shower and sink where, and also the most likely spot in the bathroom in which Light would be. There, on the floor in front of the sink, in a small pool of blood lay Light; completely still.

L walked fast over to Light and immediately checked his hand; he had a new long gash across his arm, crossing some of his older wounds. L found the pulse on Lights hand and felt for his heartbeat; it was very faint.

L noticed that there were blood and pieces of skin underneath Lights fingernails, so he looked up to see if Light had any other wounds.

Whatever L had expected to see, the sight that met him was far from it; Lights throat was covered in blood and through the blood L could see deep clawing marks, as if Light had been clawing at his own throat.

L stared, awed at the sight before him, then he noticed how Lights chest rose and fell in an unsteady rhythm, making it obvious that he had major problems breathing properly, and L were forced back to reality. He got up from his position crouched on the floor, and ran to the medicine kit he kept above the toilet in a small cabinet; he got out some disinfecting fluid and some cotton. He used these to clean the wound on Lights arm as fast as he could. When the wound on Lights arm were roughly disinfected L took out the bandages, and began bandaging Light's arm.

L looked at the arm; he had made sure to hide all the scars and wounds on the arm, but he hadn't been too careful with the bandaging, because he had little time. L knew that Light needed to go to a hospital. L did have the knowledge and experience to take care of Light on his own, but he didn't have all the tools and equipment a hospital had. So L called for Watari and tried to stop the bleeding in Lights neck with a soft towel while he waited.

When Watari came in to the bathroom he stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the lifeless form of Light lying in a pool of blood, and L trying to stop the bleeding in a wound on Lights neck. L didn't even look up when Watari entered.

"Watari, call for an ambulance, fast, Light-kun's life is in danger." Was all that L said, and Watari had the decency to follow his orders without questions, in spite of the unsettling circumstances.

"An ambulance is on its way here, I shall go to the entrance and prepare to show them the way in here." Watari said after making the call. L just nodded to signal that he had heard what Watari had said.

-x-

L sat hunched over in his chair next to the hospital bed; watching Light's chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm, reassuring L that Light was still alive.

L had used his medical degree, money and authority to convince the nurses and doctors that he had taken proper care of the wound on Lights arm, and that he would change the bandages himself in privacy; all this to prevent anyone from knowing that Light cut himself. If people found out, they would begin suggesting that Light should go to a psychiatrist, and some may even believe that Light had attempted suicide. Though L hated himself for thinking it, he couldn't help but suspect that maybe Light had attempted suicide. For this reason he had decided to let Light stay in the same room as an old lady, so that someone could be there to keep an eye on Light.

L didn't want people to think such things about his friend. L wanted people to think of Light as the perfect model student, intelligent and handsome; a person that everyone liked and envied, just like how he had been before.

Before…? The word echoed in L's mind … before what?

When L began thinking about Light's behaviour ever since the day he had joined the task force, L realized that Light hadn't had just one major personality change, but two…

When Light had been imprisoned he had been completely pushed into a corner, and L didn't doubt that at the time Light had been kira, and then, when it looked like Light would have to be sentenced to death, the killings had started again and Lights personality had drastically changed.

This time Light had finally been cleared of suspicion as Higuchi had been arrested, and then he had changed again, but he hadn't just changed, he had been broken apart… no, that wouldn't be quite right, the knowledge that came with the second change, had broken Light apart…

When L had organized his thoughts he finally knew why Light had fallen apart in so many small pieces; Light had become Kira again, and the pure him couldn't handle the knowledge of having killed thousands of humans.

At the moment of realization L felt so many different feelings rage inside him, struggling to break free, that he didn't know which on he should act upon. Because of this L chose – as he had so many times before – to just ignore all of them and stare blankly at the object of his confusion.

So Light really is kira after all…? I always knew, but at the same time I constantly tried to convince myself that I needed hard evidence before I could believe anything about him… I never truly wanted Light to be kira, did I? I think I might have fallen… so in the end I were the one to fall down from my high tower, kneeling before his feet… as I am now, I can't possibly see him executed… not when I have finally found someone to love…

-x-

Light woke up in a blindingly white hospital room. He remembered clearly what had happened; his own reflection had tried to strangle him. Light couldn't imagine exactly how that had happened, but it didn't matter, he simply decided to keep his distance from mirrors; surely his reflection would be unable to completely leave the mirrors.

Light looked around the small hospital room, it was a double room, and in the bed next to him sat a very young-looking woman, reading a book. She had long blond curly hair and a very pretty face. She noticed Light looking at her, so she put down her book and looked up at Light, smiling brightly.

"Hi, my name is Clara, what is your name?" she said.

"I'm Light, um nice to meet you…?" Light said, unsure of what he should say, considering they were both patients at a hospital. The woman laughed at his words, her voice sounding goddess-like, bubbling happily from her chest.

"I guess the circumstances in which we meet aren't the best, but it is certainly nice to meet you too. May I ask who your friend is?" she said, making Light confused. Light looked around the room, in case he had missed someone when he had looked around before.

"Excuse me, who are you talking about?" Light finally asked, after deciding that there really where only the two of them in the small room.

"Oh, your cute friend with the lovely raven-black hair, and fair milky-white skin. He sat in the chair next to your bed, watching over you as you slept, for hours, until a man who looked and acted like a butler came and convinced him to leave. I couldn't really tell much of what he was feeling, because his faces betrayed little of what happened inside his mind and heart, but right before he left he walked over to me and asked me if I could keep an eye on you when he weren't here, so I could tell he was worried about you." She said, giving Light a somewhat knowing smile.

"Oh, I guess that must have been Ryuuzaki then… did you say that he sat here for hours watching me… sleep, and he asked you to… _look after me_?" Light said, wondering if she was joking.

"Of course, the boy feels for you." She said, winking at Light.

"What do you mean by 'he feels for me'?" Light understood less and less of her words, and decided that she was definitely joking.

"Oh I do not wish to tell you, I am not in the right place to tell you of others' secrets. You are still young, and have a lot of years before you, and I am certain that you will know the truth before long either way." She said, smiling at Light.

"But aren't you young too?" Light said, frowning in confusion.

"Oh no, I may not look it, but I am 58 years old, I have many years of experience in life, trust my word; you will gain an invaluable treasure if you stay close to your lovely young friend, and remember this; gender does not matter." She said, before she picked up her book, and returned to reading .

Light however had felt something stir in his heart at her words, and so he began turning her words over and over, trying to understand what she had meant, but in the end he came up with nothing.

-x-

Light stayed at the hospital for a week, and the doctors and nurses would have preferred it if he stayed longer, but once again L had convinced the hospital personnel that it would be more comfortable for Light to get away from the confinements of the hospital.

"Why didn't Ryuuzaki come with you when you came to get me?" Light asked Watari, as Watari drove him back to the headquarters. Watari glanced at the boy sitting next to him in the car. Watari weren't nearly as smart as L, no, L was a one-in-a-million genius, and so Watari trusted L's decisions.

But despite this, Watari couldn't help but suspect that maybe Light also was a genius with equal mental capabilities. And this thought made him worry about L, because L had never met an equal to himself before, so meeting one might make him draw rash decisions, and maybe even fool himself to believe things that weren't true…

"I'm not sure Light-kun, you will have to ask Ryuuzaki himself about it next time you talk to him." Watari lied.

Watari did know why L hadn't come with him; L had been wandering aimlessly around the headquarters the last week, asking Watari to call the hospital to check on how Light was doing several times a day, one day he had even visited Light. L seemed to have given completely up on the Kira investigation, to the rest of the taskforce's great annoyance. One of the days he had gotten a real earful from Soichiro.

Watari hated to admit it, but L were, or at least thought he were, in love with the boy that at the moment sat right next to him; Light Yagami.

-x-

**Hope you… *yaaaawn* (I have been writing for sooo long, to be able to update faster) enjoyed this… *yaaaaawn* chap… chap… chapter.**

**G'night and please stick with me and my story until the end and stuff… 3**


	4. Chapter 4: Battle within

**FINALLY! YESHHH! Ok, so my beta reader is back with internet and stuff, so here you go, next chapter is up! It still amazes me how I make so stupid mistakes when I write, then I sent it to my beta, get it back and… well when I see it I face-palm at my own stupidity…**

**So this chapter is not so bright either, but, well, this story isn't really nice at all, it's depressing… oh well, it's just so good to update this story again that I just wanna go on and on, but I won't, so go ahead, read :3**

**Seriously, go ahead, don't mind me, I'll just be staring at you while you read. :D**

-x-

When Light and Watari finally arrived at headquarters, the first thing Light did was to ask the task force if anyone knew where L was.

"I think he said something about going to the roof..." Matsuda said.

"The roof? In this rain? And isn't the elevator and stairs unsafe to use due to the fire?" Light asked, surprised; the rain had been pouring down for hours; surely L couldn't have missed that, and he would never do anything to put his own life in danger.

"That's what I thought too, but it seems that all the damage on the building has finally been repaired." Matsuda said.

Light asked if anyone knew if there were any other places L could be, but nobody knew where else L could be so Light decided to check the roof; L tended to act upon many of his weird whims after all, so maybe he really had gone out in the rain?

-x-

L watched the cloudy sky in silence. He felt the raindrops prickle on his face and soak his clothes, but L didn't mind being wet; in fact L had always appreciated the rain, it was a way of relaxing and letting go of all his worries.

L sighed in contentment and began humming a tune he couldn't remember where he learned; he had known it for as long as he could remember, and anyone he had ever asked about it had claimed to know nothing about it, though L suspected Watari might know more about it than he admitted.

The day when he had asked Watari if he had ever heard that tune before, Watari had stared in shock at him and then told him that he had never heard anything like it in his entire life. That day L had only been five years old, but he had been able to realize when his foster-parent lied to him.

_Parent…_ there was that mysterious word again… after taking on the Kira-case L had bumped into the word more times than he could count on his hands.

L had never known his real parents; they had died when L was only 6 months old, and L couldn't remember anything about them. After that L had been taken in by Roger and Watari, and he had lived at the orphanage.

L had never missed his parents, because he never knew them, and at the orphanage everyone was in the same boat; nobody had parents.

L smiled as he remembered himself as a 3 year old asking Roger what having parents was like, and Roger had tried his best to explain the roles of a mom and dad in a child's life. L had only needed a few seconds of processing the information before he had said that if that really where how a mom and dad were, then Roger was his mom and Watari was his dad.

L heard a low disruption in the continuous dripping of the small raindrops, and turned to where he thought he had heard the sound, there, in the door, stood Light.

Light said something, but L didn't want to leave the rain just yet, so he cupped his hand behind his ear signalizing that he hadn't heard Light, and that he did not wish to leave his spot in the rain.

Light repeated himself once more, but as L repeated his gesture Light gave up and walked over to him.

"Ryuuzaki, thanks for saving me from…" Light trailed off as he didn't know how L would take it if Light told him that his reflection in the mirror had come to life and tried to strangle him, and he weren't sure if L had seen it either.

"From yourself? Light-kun, is there anything you wish to talk to me about?" L said seriously, looking Light straight in the eye.

"Well, I guess there is no point in hiding it, you probably saw the strangle marks around my throat either way; my reflection in the mirror sort of came to life, and it reached out and tried to strangle me." Light said, unsure of how to phrase himself properly.

At these words L's serious mask faded into a look of worry, and he carefully approached Light and felt his forehead, in case Light were running a fewer, however Light wasn't and he stared quite confused at L as L retracted his arm as if burnt. L then began speaking carefully;

"Light-kun, there were no strangle marks on your throat, there were however, clawing marks, and… you also had traces of blood and skin under your finger-nails which proved that you were the one to claw at your own throat."

Light stared confused at L, as if L just had told him that the moon was made of cheese and that one could travel there with elevator.

"Ryuuzaki, I don't get a word of what you are saying, are you feeling alright?" Light said, looking worried. L felt his heart drop at Light's words, Light truly believed in his own words.

"Light-kun, have you not wondered why you are wearing bandages around your throat? Can you not remember the nurses changing your bandages every day and clean your wounds?"

"I… well, yes and no. I have wondered why I am wearing bandages; surely that wouldn't be necessary for strangle marks. And no, I can't remember the bandages ever being changed."

L felt his throat constrict and an unfamiliar stinging behind his eyelids, as he realized how thoroughly broken Light was, and how difficult it would be to heal him, if not completely impossible.

"Light-kun, take off your bandages at once." L commanded Light. Light looked a little confused, but decided that he would take them off just to make L stop saying weird things.

Light reached for his neck and began undoing his bandages, when he was done he stood motionless, waiting for L to realize that there were no clawing marks at his throat, but when L spoke, he said something entirely different than what Light had expected.

"Light-kun… please take a look at the bandages, if that is not proof enough go and look at your reflection in the window over there" L said pointing to the only window there, which was a small window on the door to the staircase they both had arrived from.

Light felt his heartbeat increase, why would L tell him to look at the bandages, there wouldn't be anything there… or would it?

Light looked slowly down. The sight that met Light shocked him to the core; there were blood on the bandages. Light ran over to the door and looked at his blurred reflection in the small window.

It was hard to tell in the rain, but Light thought he could see bloody wounds on his throat.

Light was no fool, he knew that everything L had told him was true, but at the same time he knew that his own story also was true in a way…

"Let's go inside Light-kun, we'll catch a cold if we stay outside any longer."

-x-

L walked behind Light as they slowly descended the stairs. He had just gotten them a towel each to dry off some of the water, and they were now on their way back to the main room where all the others were.

L studied Light's body through the drenched clothes; Light had become very thin lately.

"Light-kun, will you please sit down?"

Light turned around when he heard L's words, he looked at L in wonder at the strange command, as they were in a large stone-staircase, but he didn't feel like arguing with L.

Light looked around, and noticed that something with the way the sun broke through the clouds and shone through the windows down at the stairs made it look more like they were in a church or a temple rather than a large stone-staircase, and Light wondered briefly why L had had this old fashioned staircase built in the middle of their high tech investigation headquarters.

The heavenly setting made it seem almost natural to sit down and enjoy the view as well as each other's presence for a while.

Light sat down, and looked at L, expecting him to sit down next to Light, but L kneeled in front of Light and began drying off Lights feet with his own towel.

Light had somehow expected that L would dry him in silence before they returned to the headquarters, so Light was surprised to hear L begin talking.

"Light-kun… I know that you are Kira." L said, and paused briefly. Light simply stared awed at L; he could neither confirm nor deny L's words but Light didn't have the time to think of an answer to L's claim, because L continued to speak.

"I know that you became Kira to save the world, I know that you killed thousands of people to complete your own twisted picture of a perfect world. I know you fooled yourself to believe that what you did was justice and that you were the God of the new world… I know that you lost your memories of being Kira when I had you under constant surveillance… I know… that the day we retrieved the Death Note Higuchi was in possession of… you became Kira again… this knowledge made your mind shatter, because the pure you couldn't possibly handle suddenly knowing that you had taken so many lives… I know that you began cutting yourself and…"

L's voice failed him and he felt once again the unfamiliar prickling behind his eyelids, then L felt his eyes fill with water and for the first time for as long as L could remember, he felt tears stream down his face.

A few drops landed on Lights foot. L's eyes widened as he saw them land, he held his breath, hoping that Light wouldn't notice.

Light felt something cold on this foot, and he looked down. On his foot were a few drops of water, which he assumed had fallen from L's hair. As Light was unable to speak at the moment due to the shock he had received from L's accusations, he reached for his own towel and began to carefully dry L's hair.

L sighed in contentment as Light began drying off his hair. He was relieved of course, since Light didn't seem to have noticed that he had cried, but mainly he sighed in pleasure because he had always loved it when people played with his hair or patted his head.

For a moment they stayed silently like that; drying the water off each other, but after a while they both felt that the ever so present problem couldn't be ignored anymore.

"L… I-I'm…" Light couldn't bring himself to directly say those words, so instead he chose to say: "you win, L."

Light closed his eyes, waiting for his death-sentence, but it never came, instead he felt a soft pressure on his lips. Light's eyes snapped open and he looked in surprise at L who was slowly sitting back down into his kneeling position at Light's feet.

"No Light-kun… You win. Or you could say it like this; I won the battle, but you won the war. Do you remember the first time we spoke to each other?"

Light felt as if he had forgotten how to use his voice, to he simply nodded.

"I told you that "I am L" right?"

Once again Light nodded.

"I meant it quite literally; you see my real name is L. L Lawliet."

Light's eyes widened at L's words, he couldn't believe it; L had just revealed to him something that Light knew L had never told anyone before him. The thrill and happiness Light felt when he realized this encouraged him to speak again.

"Law-li-et… L Lawliet… That is a very unusual name… but it suits you."

Light smiled at L, he couldn't even begin to describe what he felt, even if he wanted to, he was simply feeling too many things at once. However one look at the serious expression on L's face made one of the feelings crash down and crush all the others, taking over his mind completely: Light now had L's real name, now he could kill him with his own hands.

When Light finally had obtained what he had searched so long for he realized that he didn't want L to die, he didn't want to lose the company of the only person he had ever met equal to his own intellect.

Light stood up abruptly, shaking his head.

"No… no! You shouldn't have told me! He is laughing… I can hear him laughing! I don't want him to kill you; I don't want you to die! Please make it stop!" Light screamed frantically and began pulling at his hair, staggering backwards, stumbling in the stairs and falling down again.

L's stared at Light's reaction, but when he heard Light's words he understood; Kira was real. Kira had been created by Light, he had grown together with Light until Light had severed their personalities by giving up his memories of the death note.

When Kira finally had returned, Light had changed too much for Kira to be able to fuse with Light and make them one again, and thus Kira and Light were fighting over the control of Light's body.

Kira wanted to kill L, and complete his task, but Light had begun to care for L as they had lived so closely together after Kira had left the picture, and thus Light didn't want L to die.

L ran over to Light and hugged him tightly to limit Light's movement.

"Light-kun! Listen to me! It's ok, I promise you it is going to be ok, just relax." L said soothingly, trying to calm the panicking teen. It worked; Light's screaming faded to quiet sobs.

"There, there, I promise I will protect you, so don't worry about anything."

Light nodded into L's chest, he felt so safe in L's embrace he couldn't bring himself to do anything that might make L let go of him.

"Listen Light-kun, I'll carry you back to my bedroom, please relax and go to sleep now." L said soothingly, patting Lights head.

"What… about the… task force…?" Light said weakly, and L had to strain his ears to hear what Light said.

"We have stayed here for quite some time, the others have already gone home, now don't worry about anything anymore, you need to sleep."

-x-

**Ok, what did you think? Worth the wait..?**

**Leave a little review and tell me what you thought, or if you haven't already, feel free to favourite/follow me or my story! :3**


	5. Chapter 5: Life note

**Gotta love the title for this chapter! X3 I had no idea what to call this chapter, so my beta, Enjie, came up with the idea, and I really liked it, so pay attention through this chapter, and write a comment about why you think we chose to have "Life Note" as the title.**

**The first one who guesses correctly… can… idk? Um, I can draw something for them I guess, the winner can decide something I shall draw for them, which reminds me I haven't made myself a deviant art account yet… shit my friends are gonna kill me… um ok, post this chapter then make deviant art account, I'll put a link in the next chapter to my account. :D**

-x-

L sat perched on the edge of his own bed, watching Light's sleeping figure. He had carried Light to his own bedroom instead of Light's because he didn't want to leave Light alone for the time being.

L bit on the tip of his thumb, thinking; what was he going to do next?

He had somehow gotten through to Light, and Light had shown that he didn't want L to die, which made L extremely relived, however Light had also shown that the Kira-part of him was very keen on killing off L as soon as possible, this made L worry.

L looked at Light's face; he looked so peaceful and un-guarded when he slept; his face was relaxed and he looked so… _innocent._

L briefly thought about bringing a picture of the sleeping Light to the court to prove that he was not Kira, certainly no-one would accuse him then, and L had to smile to himself. Though L had no plans that involved letting Light anywhere near the court, he wouldn't allow anyone to accuse Light of being Kira, it was their secret now, and as Long as Light was still willing to fight Kira, there would be hope.

L moved closer to Light, carefully patting Light's head, because Light's expression had changed, he no longer looked peaceful and innocent; he looked troubled… and scared.

L patting Light's head had little to no effect as Light began thrashing around, and L decided to wake him.

L began shaking Light's shoulder carefully as he called out Light's name.

"Light-kun, Light-kun you have to wake up now, you are having a nightmare." He said.

Light calmed down a little, then his eyes sprang open and he sat up in the bed, he looked around in the room before his eyes found L's.

"Listen L, we have very little time, we have to-" Light began, but L interrupted him.

"Light-kun, you were having a nightmare, its ok now, go back to sleep."

"No I'm awake now, listen-"

"Light-kun is obviously not thinking very clearly, do you want me to go get you something?" L said firmly, making it clear that he wanted Light to stay in bed.

"You're right, it was a nightmare I guess, um… would you be so kind and get be some water and painkillers please? I have an incoming headache." Light said, and lay back down with a sigh.

"Sure Light-kun, wait here, I'll be back soon." L said before he left the room.

Light however, had no intention of waiting, he got up from the bed and sneaked out of the bedroom as soon as L was out of sight. Then he hurried towards the exit of the building.

Light knew that the surveillance cameras caught him running through the building, but he didn't have time to erase his trail, it was only a matter of hours before L would die, and Light was the only one who could stop it…

Light thought back on the conversation he had had with Rem in the hospital;

-x-

"_Light, it has been over a month since you were freed from the chain that connected you to L and your memories returned, why are you hesitating?" Rem asked Light._

"_We can't kill him yet, he can still be used." Light said, though he knew that was a lie, and it seemed like Rem knew it as well._

"_Currently L has put the investigation on hold, and he is wandering aimlessly around your headquarters, I believe this is because your sudden collapse has disturbed him. However I do fear that as soon as you return he will resume investigating and I believe Misa is the next person he will look closer at. Light, as long as L lives, Misa will be in danger, and if something happens to Misa I will kill you, so I recommend giving the order now, while both you and Misa are still unharmed, and well, alive" Rem looked at Light's neck at her last statement._

"_fine… the day after I return to headquarters you are to kill L, before he sets Misa's life in danger." Light said reluctantly, he had a weird feeling that something bad was going to happen if L died, but his reasoning came before his stomach feeling; he knew for a fact that if L didn't die soon, Light would be the one to pay with his life._

-x-

Light hurried thorough town and into the forest, he half-walked half-ran until he finally caught sight of what he was looking for; the weird shaped tree standing a little apart from the rest of the trees.

Light knew that L had found out about his escape by now, and would be searching for him, but he didn't care, he just had to finish his plan before L found him, then it all would be over… no that was not right, that was when everything would begin.

Light ran over to the tree and began digging in the soft earth beneath it until he finally reached a box. He carefully lifted the box and opened it, and there it was; Misa's death note.

Light picked it up, and opened it, turning it to a blank page. He looked over at the box again; there was a pen there, he picked it up gingerly and held it over the paper, he was so close, he could write L's name himself, he could finally kill L!

An inhuman cackling behind him snapped Light out of his trance and he threw the pen and notebook away in disgust. He turned slowly around and saw Ryuk standing before him. Light wondered vaguely when he had changed his goal to killing L, though he was grateful Ryuk had stopped him, even if Ryuk had done it unintentionally.

"I didn't expect to see you here Light, I thought Misa would be the one to find this notebook." Ryuk said before he began laughing again.

"Ryuk, there has been a change in the plan, you are to take this notebook to someone who lives close to Misa, it doesn't matter who. Then you will make them pick up the notebook so that they can see you. Then you will lie to them. You will tell them that it is a magic book that can grant wishes, and that they can write absolutely anything in it, and it will come true. Be sure to mention money and love as examples, it will be enough to make almost any human want it. That will make the human in question very interested in the book, and willing to do anything for it. This is when you will tell them that you will give them the death note if they are willing to kill Misa Amane, and if they refuse they will die." Light explained in a hurry, glancing down at his watch.

"So… you want me to trick a human into killing your girlfriend? I don't get it" Ryuk said slowly.

"Listen, we have very little time... the point of this is killing Rem. That's all you need to know, you should be able to figure out the rest on your own. You have to make the human attack Misa within the next few hours. Now, I relinquish ownership of this death note, but I keep ownership of the other, see you later Ryuk, I'll get you lots of apples if you do this right." Light said before he ran off.

Light smiled slightly as he ran towards headquarters, he knew he didn't deserve it, but L had told him what his real name was, this was the least Light could do for him.

_L Lawliet… I don't deserve your kindness…_

Light was so exhausted when he finally returned to headquarters that he felt as if he was going to throw up every moment, but it didn't matter, he had done his job, now all he had to do was wait and hope.

Light walked back to L's bedroom, intending to get some rest, but as soon as he entered the bedroom Light felt himself being slammed against the wall.

Light winched at the pain that spread from his back and head, and felt the nausea return full force, despite this he looked up at his attacker, and froze; the who had him pinned against the wall was none other than L, and L looked furious. Light felt a shiver run down his spine; he had _never _seen L so livid, he looked as if he could kill a man without even blinking.

Light was terrified of the man standing before him.

"Where have you been Light? Did you go and write my name in some hidden death note? Am I going to spend my last moments following whatever orders you wrote down, before dying in the most pitiful way you could think of?" L spat out, but it wasn't the anger in his voice that Light took notice of; it was the hurt.

L thought Light had betrayed him.

Light opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't; his voice had fled in terror at the sight before him, in fear of making things worse rather than clearing the misunderstanding.

"I really thought better of you Light. Or maybe you're Kira now? Who knows? You seemed so willing to fight it yesterday; I actually believed I could save you!" L said, his voice steadily rising in volume.

Light felt something wet run down his cheeks. Light frowned, wondering what it was, then he realized that he was crying. He, Light Yagami, was crying.

Light began trembling weakly, he felt scared, and weak, he was crying in front of another… Light felt as if someone had opened his chest and handed a knife to the furious detective in front of him; he felt so... vulnerable.

L looked at Light, and felt his heart clench; Light was crying.

Even if L had lost to Light, even if L had accepted the loss, L still didn't want to die… L feared death, more than anything… no, that wasn't quite right, he used to fear death more than anything, now the thing he feared the most was… Light.

The creature in front of him had competed with him on equal terms at an age of seventeen, he had squeezed out of difficult situations, and he had stolen L's heart.

Suddenly L realized that he didn't care what happened to himself; he didn't care if he died.

L had _let _Light steal his heart and Light was free to do whatever he wanted with it.

L felt, for the second time for as long as he could remember, tears streaming down his face.

_How far have I fallen? I can't even remember when it happened… Love… What is love? Will love make a person avoid death, and do anything in their power to stay with the one they love…? Will love make a person offer their life to ensure that their beloved one will always be safe…? Is love supposed to hurt?_

L leaned forward and buried his face in Light's shoulder, and let go. He sobbed into Light's shirt, not caring about what the other person would think of him.

Light watched in horror as L began crying into his shirt. He felt L's arms crawl to his back and hug him close.

Light had never seen the stoic detective cry before, and seeing the other person so weak made Light dizzy, he felt as if someone had turned his spine into jelly, and before he knew it they were both sitting on the floor; Light leaning against the wall with L practically sitting in his lap.

Light felt as if he was being ripped apart watching L cry; he had never guessed it would hurt so much to see a friend in pain. Before Light was aware of it he was carefully moving his hand through L's hair soothingly. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had felt L relax a little bit at the contact.

"_How long… do I have left?" _L whispered, and Light had to strain his ear to hear what he was saying. Light's eyes widened when he realized what L had meant.

"No, that's not… you misunderstood… I didn't… I never meant for you to… I don't want to… I… I don't know…" Light couldn't find the right words to form a proper sentence, and his futile attempts soon ceased, at least out loud, Light was still trying desperately to find a way of explaining everything that had happened to the detective.

L looked into Light's eyes, seeing how the other boy struggled with his words. L felt his heartbeat increase, what was Light trying to tell him? Wasn't he going to die after all? L tried to calm himself, fighting to not feel hopeful; he knew that bringing his hopes up would make it so much more painful later.

Light closed his eyes; _I have to tell him somehow, _Light firmly told himself, this was not a time for him to act weak and confused, he had to be the strong one, just this once. L had already saved him, he had to do that one little thing in return. Light opened his eyes slowly and looked straight into the black orbs that were L's eyes.

"If my plan succeeds you won't die." Light said simply, deciding that if L wanted to know the details he could simply ask, instead of having Light coming with all the facts stuffed into one sentence.

L's eyes widened and he stared at Light, amazed at what he had just heard.

_Light… is saving me?_

-x-

**So… anyone figure out the title yet? Really, Enjie is such a genius, and I dare say the ones who guesses correctly is too. X3**

**So yeah, bye, need to make deviant art account, I promised my friends to make one real long ago, but I forgot…**


	6. Chapter 6: Rem

**Woop, woop, next chapter, yay! **

**Thank you for the reviews I have gotten so far, it makes me soo happy! :3**

**Soooooo, apparently the emotions are a little all over the place at the end of the chapter… and weeeell, sorry, I feel kinda lazy when I say that I was too lazy to rewrite it… wait what? Ok, either way, just read!**

-x-

"L, what time is it?" Light asked in a calm voice, not wanting to ruin the calm atmosphere.

"About 11 am I believe" L said.

L and Light had been sitting on the floor, L in Light's lap, for a few hours, finding each other's presence calming.

"It's about time, we have to go." Light said.

"Where to?" L asked, having realized that the best thing he could do was cooperate with whatever plan Light had made to save him, rather than argue.

"Not far, we just have to make sure Misa is nearby… L, do you remember when you wanted Misa to help with the investigation, and I refused because I didn't want to set her life in danger?" Light asked, hoping L still didn't mind putting the cheerful girl's life at risk.

"… Will she be alright?" L asked, understanding part of what Light had planned to save him.

"Unless Rem has had a sudden change of heart… in which case both you and I will die as well." Light said quietly.

"I guess it fits pretty well, it would be cruel to let her live without you after all." L said, feeling an unfamiliar hostility towards the girl in question as he thought about her love for Light.

"It is cruel to let her live too, I can't return her love, I just… can't" Light said sadly, feeling sorry for Misa.

"Let's not think more about that for now, let's go find Misa." L said, standing up and reaching out a hand to help Light up as well.

Light and L first went to Misa's apartment, but didn't find her there, so they tried to look for her in some of the cafés she used to visit, and at their third attempt, they were successful.

They sat down in a corner in the café so that they could see her.

"What are you up to, Light Yagami and… Ryuuzaki? Weren't your investigation supposed to start up again today?" Rem asked, appearing out of a wall behind the duo.

"I convinced L to take a break from investigating, and get him away from HQ and all the other detectives. I thought it'd be healthy for both of us." Light said, sending Rem what would appear to be a meaningful look.

Rem nodded once, and turned to leave through the wall, but as soon as she turned her back to the duo, Light nodded to L, trying to signalize to him that he had to stop her because Light had to stay in his role.

"Rem-san, could you wait a minute?" L asked, looking at the shinigami, who hesitated before she turned around and floated back to L and Light's table.

"What is it?" Rem asked, and for the next 30 minutes L asked Rem lots of questions about Shinigamis and Death Notes, even though he knew he wouldn't get any proper answers from her.

Light on the other hand did only have one ear at the conversation between the genius and the shinigami; because he was keeping most of his attention on Misa, hoping with his whole heart that Ryuk had succeeded.

Finally, when Light began feeling restless, and L began running out of questions, it happened; a man who seemed very intoxicated entered the café, and even if Ryuk was hiding, Light knew that it was the man he had been waiting for.

L noticed Light's tense shoulders relax slightly, and he looked around the café, and spotted a drunken man walking around, apparently looking for something or someone, one of his hands inside his jacket; hiding something.

When L saw this man he understood what Light had planned, and decided to draw Rem's attention to the new arrival in the small café.

"Light-kun that man over there, the one who is unmistakably intoxicated, I believe I have seen him before, has he ever appeared in the newspaper or on TV?" L asked, making Light turn to look at him.

"I don't know Ryuuzaki, but even so, he is just… disgusting, who walks into a café with kids and all when they are so drunk? If only he were a minor you could have arrested him." Light said, ensuring that Rem knew that neither of the boys had any power to change the situation.

Rem looked in disgust at the man, and saw him sit down by a table, opposite of a blonde girl. Rem was about to look away when she realized who the blonde girl was, and her eyes widened in horror as she looked above Misa's head; Misa's life would end in a matter of seconds.

Rem looked at the drunken man and saw something silver shimmer from underneath his jacked. Rem knew it was he who would kill Misa, so she did what the shinigami Jealous had done; she took her Death Note out of her pocket, and wrote the drunken man's name down, to prolong the human Misa Amane's life.

Light and L watched as the drunken man clutched his chest and dropped dead. When they turned towards where Rem had been standing, they only saw a pile of dust.

"Good news Light! He was already a criminal, so I deserve some extra apples for that, right?" an inhuman voice said from behind him, and Light turned to see Ryuk with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Good work Ryuk, please give me the Death Note now." Light said, but Ryuk simply stared at Light, surprised at his openness around the detective.

"Is there another shinigami here?" L asked sharply, and Light nodded.

"So Light, care to explain why the enemy is suddenly included in our little club" Ryuk asked, turning his attention towards Light, who couldn't help but notice that Ryuk _still _hadn't given back the Death Note.

"Let's just say our first battle is over, it ended in… let's call it a tie, but we have decided to start a new battle, and I don't really want to spoil the fun for you Ryuk." Light said, hoping that being slightly mysterious would keep the shinigami entertained for a little longer.

At that moment the café had become quite crowded because of the dead man, so L and Light decided to get out of there and head back to HQ.

-x-

"You let a criminal die in my place." L said, when he and Light had locked themselves into L's bedroom, his voice slightly harder than usual.

"I'm sorry L, but I don't deserve to live, and for as long as I am alive you will live to." Light said, a childish stubbornness present in his voice, making L think that there really was hope for the other boy after all.

"_sigh. _On any other day I would hate you for killing someone in my place, but for some reason I don't… I don't wish to die; for the sole purpose of keeping you alive and sane, and at the same time I would offer my life for you at any moment… I don't even get my own feelings." L said, opening up to Light, showing how confused he was.

"Then let's agree on staying alive for each other, I wouldn't be able to bear it if you died." Light said, feeling his heart clench at the mere thought of L dying.

"Yeah… so that's one shinigami out of the way, what do we do about Ryuk?" L asked, knowing that the other shinigami was far from harmless.

Light frowned; he knew that as soon as Ryuk was bored enough he would kill him without hesitation…

"I honestly don't know… one thing is for sure, Ryuk would never ever offer his life to save a human, also as soon as he is bored with my games he will kill me, and my guess is that it will happen pretty soon, cause I don't think giving him apples will help…" Light said, shivering at the thought of dying.

"We will think of something, I promise. Now, let's go back to the investigation and plant some misleading clues for the rest of the team to find while we wait for Misa to come here and tell us about what happened…" L said, feeling dreadful at the thought of having the way-too-energetic girl around, telling them how Kira had saved her.

-x-

"… and then he clutched his chest and fell to the ground, dead, because of a heart attack! Kira saved Misa again! Yay!" Misa finished her extremely long retelling of the dramatic events at the café by hugging Light in a way she thought was cute; pressing her boobs into Light's arm, and rubbing her cheek into his shoulder.

When Misa drew back slightly; still holding Light's arm, Light could see a white spot on his black shirt, and wondered briefly how many layers of make-up the gothic girl really used.

"Wow, must have been scary…" L said, his voice monotonous, as it usually was around others. Though Light was able to pick up a small hint of sarcasm in L's voice, this made the brunette smile to himself.

"Misa knows!" Misa exclaimed loudly, and Light winced at the loud sound, and then decided to carefully claim possession of his arm back and put some distance between himself and the blonde, in case she decided to make another high-pitched sound.

L noticed Light's action and if it weren't for the fact that he was a very stoic man he would have laughed at it.

"When did you realize that the scary looking man was after your life?" L asked, deciding to humour Misa for a little while longer.

"As soon as he entered the café Misa knew something was wrong, and since a man has tried to kill Misa before, I suspected that he could be after Misa's life!" Misa said dramatically.

"Did you think of some sort of plan in case Kira didn't save you?" L asked seriously, glancing at Light to see if the teen found his little act funny and was met with the sight of a Light deep in thought, with a very troubled look on his face.

L blocked out the uneven stream of Misa's nagging voice as he focused all of his attention on Light, wondering what could be troubling the teen.

"How very brave of you Misa-san, but I think it would be best if you left, Light and I have important work to do." L said absentmindedly, getting up from his chair and dragging Light out of the room, not even looking back to see if Misa actually left.

As soon as the two were in L's room, and the door was locked, L confronted Light.

"What is it?" L asked seriously, feeling a somewhat sinking feeling in his stomach; no matter how unstable Light had become lately, he would never show such a troubled face without a very good reason.

"It's Ryuk… I fear that he'll kill me very soon." Light said slowly, as if testing if the words would sound different from what they had done inside his head, when spoken out loud.

"What makes you think so?" L said, his voice urgent.

"As I am sure you remember I asked Ryuk to hand me the spare Death Note, however he talked himself away from that issue without giving it to me." Light said, frowning slightly as he thought about all the possible reasons for Ryuk's behaviour.

"Why would he keep the superfluous Death Note, he already has one, or am I wrong?" L asked, not knowing whether to be confused or not, as he didn't know much about the Shinigami in question.

"I don't know… it might be because he is tired of my games, so he intends to kill me and give you the second Death Note, I am pretty sure he finds you just as entertaining as me…" Light said.

"I won't let him." L said firmly, and Light looked up in surprise, and felt his breath hitch; L's eyes was filled with determination, and Light realized that L would do anything in his power to save Light, or go down with him; all this for Light, and Light only.

"The rest of the team might be wondering why we are taking so long, we should head back to the main-room." L said, and Light nodded.

L led Light out of his bedroom, a plan already forming in his mind.

_I promise Light, I will save you._

-x-

**Ok, sooo, the drawing for meoww-chan is not done yet, sorry, I just lost all inspiration to draw and write, hehehe…**

**Either way, I'm working on it, but I kinda need to adjust myself too school again, so things are progressing very slowly atm.**

**I hope it was worth the wait though.**


	7. Chapter 7: Gambling

**New chapter!**

**I mentioned making a deviant art account right? Well I have, my name is honniing there as well, but I haven't had much time to upload new drawings and I'm really sorry meaoww-chan, but my tablet was thrown down the staircase yesterday because my sister got really mad at me, so I have to buy a new one before I can finish my drawing for you. I'm really, really sorry! I just have the worst luck sometimes.. D:**

**Either way, enjoy!**

-x-

"Good work everyone; we'll stop here for today, go home and get some rest." L said, earning a few looks at his sudden talkativeness, and eagerness to _end _the investigation. Regardless of their confusion at L's sudden change in demeanour the investigation team was grateful for an opportunity to get some extra rest, so they all left without a fuss.

When everyone had left L turned to Light.

"You too Light, you need rest, you have been through a lot, and it's far from over…" L said, his voice a little softer than usual.

"Can I… never mind.." Light said, and began walking toward the stairs.

"I'm not accustomed to being... _Social, _but I have observed you in your sleep lately, with no creepy intentions I assure you, it was merely to pass time, and well, I noticed that you are very restless. How to put it, you have nightmares don't you? Do you wish to sleep in my bedroom tonight as well?" L said, finding it hard to say what he wanted to say without being rude, or embarrass Light.

"Oh, um, thanks." Light said simply, and then he turned and walked towards L's bedroom instead.

L felt relieved that Light hadn't questioned him about why he sent everyone of so early; it was still only seven pm after all.

L walked to the kitchen where he opened a large box he had made Watari prepare a little earlier that day.

The box contained twenty fresh apples. L smirked as he thought about Light's mocking message he had received through criminals dying messages.

"Ryuk-san? I can't really see you, obviously, so I would appreciate it if you could touch me with your Death Note or something, so that I can see you." L said, not even sure if the shinigami was present.

At first L was met with silence, and so he began wondering if the shinigami had heard him at all, and just as he was about to call out for the shinigami again, L something touch his arm, so he looked down only to see an ugly inhuman arm holding a small piece of paper against his skin.

L looked up and was slightly surprised when he looked at the shinigami standing in front of him, because he looked completely different from Rem.

"I see… this way the notebook will remain yours, am I correct?" L said more to himself than Ryuk, as he gestured towards Ryuk's pocket, where he had put the small piece of paper.

"So… considering you have a bunch of apples here you must have figured out how much I like them, care to give me one?" Ryuk asked hopefully.

"Of course, after you have answered some of my questions." L said, taking an apple out of the case, tossing it up in the air and then catching it again, only to tempt the shinigami.

"Oh, so we are playing with fire, L Lawliet." Ryuk said, a sinister smile forming on his face.

"It seems so…" L said monotonously.

"So what can I offer you L?" Ryuk asked.

"Answers." L said matter-of-factly, making Ryuk roll his eyes.

"Well ask away, I'll answer any question you throw at me as long as it is not against the rules." Ryuk said.

L had gotten the impression that Ryuk would be extremely difficult to get answers from, and that it would be as difficult as catching smoke with bare hands, so Ryuk seemingly willingness to tell L anything he wanted to know was… _unnerving, _to say the least.

_What are you trying to achieve…? _L thought, studying Ryuk's face in hopes of gaining some sort of understanding of the shinigami's thoughts, but Ryuk turned out to be impossible to read.

"You say you have "rules", that must mean you have some form of punishment as well, am I wrong?" L said, earning a laugh from Ryuk.

"Well of course, why else would we bother following the rules?" Ryuk asked as if L had just said something extremely stupid.

"Well what sort of punishment do you have?" L asked, already annoyed by the shinigami's behaviour.

"Well… depends on the crime. The worst punishment is death, because the shinigami-king can kill us, and then there is torture of course, confinement for an unspecified amount of time, usually a couple centuries or so, we could also have our Death Note taken away-" Ryuk paused in his explanation, showing no signs of intending to continue.

"All those are very harsh punishments. So what are the most common crimes then?" L asked, with a feeling that he was overlooking something important.

"Well we can't kill a human with the intention of prolonging another human's life, obviously, since we live to shorten humans' life and prolong only our own lives… you know what happened to Rem. Other than that we can't kill a human if it owns another shinigami's death note… if we drop a Death Note in the human world it automatically becomes human property as soon as it touches the ground, and after that we cannot take the Death Note from the human without the humans' permission." Ryuk scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.

Suddenly everything clicked in L's head; Ryuk had given the secondary Death Note to some human, and then taken it, telling the human that he would get it if he killed Misa, that was how Ryuk had convinced the human to try to kill her.

_So you broke the rule by taking the Death Note back from the human… it can't be one of the more serious crimes, so his punishment would probably be to have his Death Note taken away, that is why he didn't give the secondary Death Note back to Light at the café. But how could he make me see him then? Did he only have one of the Death Note's taken away? That wouldn't be much punishment…_

"Ryuk-san, can a shinigami kill another shinigami?" L asked.

"Nope, only the shinigami king can kill other shinigami's, though no-one knows how he does it, maybe he can see other shinigami's names?" Ryuk joked, though Ryuk's little joke kicked L's thoughts into motion.

"So you _do _have "real" names then?" L asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, but we can't tell others of our names, it's impossible." Ryuk said, noticing how L had begun asking more specific questions.

"Then it would be possible for you to write your own name in the Death Note, right?" L asked triumphantly.

"Well, yeah…" Ryuk said warily, wondering why L suddenly seemed so confident.

"Then let me ask you a personal question; Ryuk, Light told you to trick some human into killing Misa, this I know for a fact, also you used your Death Note to convince the human… You were careless weren't you? You dropped the Death Note and then took it back after the human had claimed ownership for the notebook… you were punished by having both of the Death Note's you were in possession of taken away from you… And then the shinigami king gave you a small piece of your Death Note so that you can kill yourself, or waste it on killing some human, only to prolong your life with a few years. That small piece of paper was what you used to enable me to see you. Is my theory correct?" L asked, his question met with silence.

"What do you want?" Ryuk asked suddenly.

"I want to see you dead." L said, knowing that being honest was his best bet.

"Well too bad you can't kill me then, and I still have more years than you left to live." Ryuk said mockingly.

"But to you that aren't very much is it? I can offer you something you need." L said, reaching for the bottom of the box with apples, and taking out the Death Note they had gotten from Higuchi.

"Why would you give me that Death Note?" Ryuk asked confused.

"Oh, you misunderstand, I won't give it to you for free; you'll have to win it from me. You see Light and I have been mailing each other all day in lack of anything better to do, considering we had to pretend to be working with the investigation, and he told me that shinigami gamble most of the time in your world, and that you gamble with the years you have left to live." L explained.

"I see. So you want to gamble with me, if I win you will give me the Death Note, and if you win I will give you all of my remaining lifespan. Fine, I don't have anything to lose." Ryuk said.

"Brilliant, then it is a very simple game; you and I each have 7 dice, and a cup, we put the dice in the cup, shake it, and then we turn it upside down on the table, hiding all of the dice. Then we will take turns to guess how many dice are turned on a certain number, after both have guessed once they can look at their own dice. You can't guess anything lower than the other person has just guessed, and you can't guess the same number either. And if one thinks the other person have guessed a number above the actual amount they can call the other for liar, if they are correct they win the round, if they are wrong they lose. We play seven rounds, the first six rounds the loser will have to give one die to the winner, and at the end of the seventh round the prices will be your lifespan and this Death Note. Are the rules clear?" L asked, sitting down by the table in the kitchen, already having prepared the cups and dice.

"Yeah, I like it; it is simple and straight forward." Ryuk said, sitting down opposite of L.

"Well, how straight forward it really is can be discussed, but it's good you like it. Now let's begin." L said, and then he shook his cup thoroughly before he put it down on the table upside-down.

"You go first." Ryuk said, mimicking L's actions.

"How very kind of you, so, we start with one, and I guess there is one 1." L said, deciding to start out with playing "safely".

"Then I guess there is two 1." Ryuk said.

When Ryuk had guessed they both peeked under the edge of their cups to see what dice they had.

_Four 1, one 3 and two 6… I might actually be able to win this round, I just have to keep an eye on his attitude and read his next move; nothing I haven't done before._

"I guess four 1." L said.

"Then I guess seven 1." Ryuk said, his smile turning into a triumphant smirk as he watched realization hit L.

_Oh no, I revealed how many 1 I have and he realized it; now I know for a fact that there is seven 1 altogether, so I can't call him liar, but if I guess something else he'll call me liar… _L thought.

"I guess eight 1." L said, knowing he had lost the first round already.

"Liar." Ryuk said, lifting his cup, revealing three 1, two 2, one 4 and one 6.

After looking at Ryuk's dice for a few seconds L lifted his own cup, revealing his own dice.

"Here…" L said, giving one of his dice to Ryuk. Then he put the remaining six back into his cup, ready for round two.

"The loser starts, right?" Ryuk asked, his cup already upside-down on the table.

"Yeah I guess zero 2." L said.

"I guess two 2." Ryuk said, and then both peeked at their dice again.

_One 1, two 3, one 4 and two 5, fuck… No 2, well, I'll have to bluff. _L thought, annoyed at his bad luck.

"three 2." L said.

"four 2." Ryuk said.

_Is it possible that he has as many as five 2? Or is he bluffing? Did he have three 2 and now he intends to call me liar? Or does he have four 2 in which case I must trick into believing that I have at least on 2. But what if he has six, seven or eight 2? This game is much harder than I originally thought… _L thought, looking at Ryuk as if the shinigami would tell him the answer.

"Liar." Said, lifting his cup, revealing his own dice. Ryuk looked at his dice and grinned, lifting his own cup, revealing three 1, four 2 and one 5.

"You aren't very good at this L Lawliet." Ryuk said mockingly, reaching out a hand to get another die from L.

-x-

**So Enjie (my beta) told me this chapter was kinda short… sorry about that… but the next one will be up really soon!**

**If you had a hard time understanding the game L and Ryuk are playing I totally get it, because that is something I made up base on the game that is played in pirates of the caribean 2, with that octopus guy, will turner, and bootstrap bill turner. (I hardly remember anything from that movie, lolz) So comment or send me PM if you want a more detailed explanation!**


	8. Chapter 8: Ryuk

**Finally the next chapter is up! Idk what more to say, so enjoy!**

**-x-**

"Three 3." L said once they both had turned their cups upside-down again.

"Oh, suddenly you are so daring, I guess five 3." Ryuk said, laughing as he looked at his own dice.

_Why is he laughing? Does he think that he has won the round already? Oh no… He don't have any 3… that must be it, and I only have five dice so it is impossible for there to be more than five 3 if he doesn't have any, so if I guess six 3 I'll lose… there isn't even a point of looking at my own dice, I only have one option either way._

"Liar." L said, lifting his cup, revealing five 3.

Ryuk smiled and lifted his cup, confirming L's theory about having no 3.

"Oh my, you are literally digging your own grave here, L Lawliet." Ryuk said happily as he received another die from L.

"Two 4." L said as they began round four.

"Liar." Ryuk said, smirking as L stared at him in shock. They both lifted their cups and revealed only one 4 out of all the fourteen dice.

"How-" L began, but cut himself short as he realized he would never get a proper answer for the shinigami anyway.

"I'm feeling rather confident, because I thought you would be a really stubborn opponent, but you are hardly worth offering a second thought; I can predict your next move without even trying." Ryuk said, putting his dice back into his cup along with a new one which he had just received from L.

"I guess zero 5." L said.

"I guess four 5." Ryuk said before both peeked at their dice.

_I only have two 5, and it is impossible for me to tell how many he has… he currently has 11 dice, what are the odds of him having four 4? It is fairly high, I will place my bet on that._

"six 5." L said, smirking at Ryuk, though it didn't last for long.

"Liar." Ryuk said, revealing his dice, showing that he only had one 5.

Reluctantly L gave one more die to Ryuk.

"I guess two 6." L said.

"I guess three 6." Ryuk said and they looked at their dice.

_Calm down. I have two dice left, one 2 and one 6. He has twelve dice… I have to stay calm, I have to predict his next move, and figure out how many 6 he has before he figures out how many I have._

"I guess four 6. L said, looking at Ryuk's cup, as if he was trying to convince it to move merely by staring at it.

"five 6." Ryuk said.

"six 6." L said, knowing he was just guessing blindly.

"Liar." Ryuk said, and was proven right when they both lifted their cups. "You know I think I wanna add something to the prize, you know to motivate you. I was thinking that if you win you will get my remaining lifespan, and you will get my eyes, how about it? Wouldn't that make your little investigations so much easier?" Ryuk said.

"Fine with me, though I don't really have anything else to add…" L said.

"You could give me the apples over there." Ryuk said, pointing at the box at the counter.

"Oh those, very well, if you win you will get the Death Note and those apples." L said, feeling his heart beat faster; they were already at the last round, and L had lost six out of six times already, his chances to win were near zero per cent.

"Let's play then." Ryuk said.

-x-

_What is L doing I wonder…? Well, it's not like it matters; he can take care of his own business._

Light was lying on his back in L's bed; he had gotten used to sleeping next to the detective, and strongly disliked the thought of sleeping alone.

_L Lawliet… the strange detective that saved me from myself… Why did he do it? He had already won, why did he sacrifice himself for me?_

_Oh…_

_He kissed me… _

_Could it be that what the old lady in the hospital said had some truth in it after all…?_

"_The boy feels for you" is what she said… could he really be in love with me? We are both male after all, isn't that kind of weird?_

"…_Remember this; gender does not matter…" despite what that old lady said she was able to understand both me and L so easily… somehow I envy her._

Light sighed and got up from the bed, walking out of the bedroom towards the bathroom to prepare himself for the night.

When Light had undressed and stepped into the shower something sharp caught his eye and he turned to look at the object. Lying among the soaps and shampoo was the barber razor he had become so familiar with the past few weeks.

Light picked it up gingerly and studied it carefully, not unlike how he had looked at it the first time he had cut himself.

_What good does it really do me? Hurting myself won't solve my problems, right? So why do I still find the thought of pain so tempting?_

Light's eyes suddenly sprang open as he realized what he was about to do, he tossed the sharp object out of the shower, but at the sudden movement he slipped on the wet floor and fell, hitting his head against the hard stone tiles that covered the wall.

Light didn't even have time to feel the pain before everything went black.

-x-

"So, what number do we go with this time?" Ryuk asked.

"You get to choose since you have won all six rounds so far." L said.

"Ok, then why not go with 1 then." Ryuk decided, and L nodded in agreement.

_I have to win, even if I have an enormous disadvantage I don't have any choice, I have to win…_

"Zero 1" L said, looking at Ryuk's cup.

"One 1" Ryuk said, and they both peeked at their dice.

_I have one 1…_

"Two 1" L said.

"Three 1" Ryuk said.

_Does he intend to just heighten my guesses by one number?_

"Six 1" L said, looking Ryuk straight in the eye, looking for any form of surprise or hesitation. That was when L noticed that Ryuk was studying him intently as well, seeing L's every change in demeanour.

_Of course, I haven't really given it my all so far have I? I have been too focused on the game itself I forgot that the main point is to deceive your opponent… What I fool I am…_

"Seven 1" Ryuk said, making L raise an eyebrow.

"Are you that unsure whether my one die is a 1 or not? Am I that hard to read all of a sudden? I guess eight 1" L said, suddenly feeling confident, he knew that he could win the last round.

"I don't need to know whether you have a 1 or not, as soon as you guess higher than the possible amount of 1 I will know, and I can call you liar. But I will congratulate you on finally realizing that you were showing your thoughts on your face so that I was able to read you like a book so far. Nine 1" Ryuk said, grinning down at L.

_Why would he tell me his plan so openly…? Could it be…?_

"Ryuk-san you said you would call me liar as soon as I guessed anything higher than the possible amount, are you waiting for me to guess fifteen 1 then?" L asked, his eyes fixated on Ryuk's, looking for the smallest change, he saw none. "Did you know that sometimes actors are too talented for their own good, they act so well that they end up acting unnaturally, and stays too calm in unusual situations? We are only playing with fourteen dice right now, I would lose the instant I guessed fifteen 1. I guess there is thirteen 1." L said, smirking at Ryuk.

"Kukukukuku, how reckless, do you really think it's possible for all but one of the dice to show 1?" Ryuk said mockingly.

"Oh but you just proved to me that it's the truth, or else you would have called me liar already. I'll even tell you that my dice is a 1. Now then, don't you believe me? Call me liar, or guess higher." L said. Knowing he already had won.

"… then I call you a liar." Ryuk said, and both of them lifted their cups, revealing L's 1 and Ryuk's twelve 1 and one 5.

"I'm sorry, but I'm doing it for him." L said.

"That's how you convinced him right? By getting all lovey-dovey and stuff." Ryuk said, shuddering slightly at the thought.

"You could say that. I love him more than life itself, to me it doesn't matter what I get in return, as long as I can stay by his side as a guardian, brother, friend or lover. It doesn't matter which one as long as he is safe and happy." L said.

"Ugh, I feel sick. Let's get this over with… I can't believe that in the end I'll die after losing to a mere human…" Ryuk said, getting up from his chair and floating over to L. Then Ryuk put one of his hands in front of L's eyes.

"Ouch, it hurt." L said, after Ryuk had removed his hand again.

"Well what'd you expect?" Ryuk asked.

"I had no expectations what so ever, this is beyond my comprehension; you are from a different world after all." L explained.

"Well then, I'd be pitiful for me to resist now." Ryuk said, reaching both his arms out towards L.

Right before Ryuk's hands reached L's head L's cell phone interrupted them. L took his phone out of his pocked and looked at the caller id. Upon seeing it was a call from Watari he signalized for Ryuk to wait while he answered.

"What has happened?" L asked, knowing his guardian only would call if something serious had happened.

"I can't tell for sure…" Watari began, hesitating slightly.

"What?" L said, feeling his heartbeat increase.

"I think something might have happened to Light-kun." Watari said, dreading L's reaction.

"What?! How?! When?!" L asked.

"I'm not sure what or how, but I saw him on the surveillance cameras, walking to the bathroom a good two hours ago or so, I assumed it was to shower and prepare himself for bed but he hasn't come out yet, I'm worried something might have happened." Watari explained, and L froze.

_It couldn't be the hallucination with the mirror again?_ L thought.

"Shit" he said before hanging up and running toward said bathroom, Ryuk following him in lack of anything better to do.

When they finally reached the bathroom L didn't even hesitate before he kicked down the door, which had been replaced only a week earlier. L barged into the bathroom and ran over to Light as soon as he had located him.

Light was lying unconscious in the shower, the water still running. L reached through the water to turn it off, and shivered; it was freezing cold.

L began searching Light's body for wounds, but could find none, but when he came to Light's head he realized something; he was able to see Light's name and remaining lifespan, and Light only had seconds left to live.

L's eyes widened as he stared at the numbers sinking rapidly, not showing any signs of slowing down.

_Shit, Light must have fallen and hit his head… he probably got a serious concussion, and now his brain is swelling and choking him… To save him at this point his head will have to be cracked open, but there is no way I can do that here. I don't have time to bring him to a hospital either. What should I do? I can't lose him now!_

**-x-**

**Oh no! D: Light is dying! What to do? Obviously you'll have to wait and see :3 oh how evil I feel right now :3**

**This chapter was exactly 2000 words (not counting the author notes), idk why, but I thought that was hilarious for some reason…**

**Did you like it? Are you looking forward to the next chapter? Then you could favourite/follow the story if you haven't done that already. Also if you feel that I could have done something better then please tell me in the form of a review or PM or anything :D**


	9. Chapter 9: Panic

**I didn't want to wait too long with publishing this chapter, considering how I left you all on an edge last chapter. Heh, that was really mean of me. But here you go!**

-x-

L felt cold sweat form on his forehead as he tried to think of a way to save Light, then an idea struck him.

"Ryuk! You can save him can't you? If you give him your remaining lifespan he will survive won't he?" L asked, looking at Ryuk.

"Well, you were the one who won the bet, so I guess you can do whatever you want with my remaining lifespan…" Ryuk said, scratching the back of his head.

"Then hurry! Save him!" L yelled, trying to make the shinigami hurry before Light died.

"Fine, just promise me one thing; make sure he doesn't waste my life by wandering aimlessly around being bored… I've already wasted plenty of life that way." Ryuk said, before he put his hands on either side of Light's head, closing his eyes in concentration.

L sighed in relief as the numbers above Light's head began to rapidly rise again.

"Goodbye, have a fun life." Ryuk said, before he crumpled and became a big pile of dust on the floor in front of the shower.

"What… happened…?" Light said weakly, looking at L in confusion.

"I'll explain everything, just put some clothes on first, you must be freezing." L said, reaching out a hand towards Light.

"Why is there a big pile of dust in here?" Light asked confused.

"I already told you, I'll explain everything after you have tidied up yourself a little." L said monotonously, walking out of the bathroom, heading towards his bedroom.

-x-

"You did what?! Are you crazy?! You could have died!" Light yelled, staring horror-struck at L.

L and Light were sitting cross-legged opposite each other on L's bed; L explaining everything that had taken place after he had told the task force to leave earlier.

"Yes, but you could also have died, you survived only because I made that bet with Ryuk and won." L said matter-of-factly.

"Well, that is true but…" Light said, not really having any good come-backs.

L leaned forward and kissed Light carefully. It didn't last for long, but it left a tingling sensation on Light's lips, that soon spread through his body, making him blush slightly. Light looked down at his hands, trying to hide his blush.

"We agreed to stay alive for each other, right?" L asked, chuckling at Light's expression.

Light looked up in surprise at the foreign sound; if he hadn't known L was the only one in the room with him, he would never have guessed that the detective was capable of chuckling.

"I guess…" Light said, smiling weakly at L; the detective had risked his life to save him after all. Suddenly Light became still, his smile falling from his face, as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

L looked at Light in worry as the teen suddenly froze, making a petrified expression.

"Light-kun…?" L said, but he got no response.

As L spoke tears began streaming down the teens face, followed by hysterical sobbing.

"Light-kun? What is wrong?" L asked, worry present in his voice.

Light didn't answer the question; instead he wrapped his arms around himself, shaking his head in denial.

L leaned forward and gripped Light's shoulders, shaking him carefully, trying to make Light snap out of his sudden panic attack.

"You could have died…" Light whispered, and L's eyes widened.

_Since when did Light care for me to this extent…? _L thought surprised.

"Yes Light-kun, and you could also have died, but we didn't." L said, realizing that approaching the problem with calm matter-of-factly attitude may not have been his brightest idea, as Light's sobbing only increased at his words.

"You carelessly risked your life for my sake…." Light said accusingly, as if blaming L for having killed his friend.

L looked at his friend with worry; he knew how Light felt. L had felt so devastated when he saw Light lying unconscious on the floor in the shower, number representing his remaining lifespan floating above his head… rapidly decreasing… closer and closer to zero, the moment when Light would die.

L tightened his grip on Light's shoulders as images of Light lying almost dead in the bathroom flashed before his eyes; he never wanted to see something like that again.

"I'm sorry Light-kun. However it had to be done." L said.

"I know everything went well this time, but the fact that you so mindlessly jumped into a life and death situation makes it obvious that you would risk your life again if you ever have to, and what If you aren't so lucky next time?! What if you… _die,"_ Light said, his last word hardly above a whisper.

"It is true that I would offer my life for you anytime, _if _that was the only available solution, however, as long as there still is a chance I will do everything in my power to protect you _and _stay alive myself." L said, looking Light straight in his eyes as he spoke.

"But what if you don't?! What if you are unable to stay alive?" Light said hysterically, closing his hands around L's wrists, which were still holding firmly onto his shoulders.

"Then you'll have to learn to live without me." L said, smiling sadly at Light.

"NO! I won't! I can't! Please don't leave me alone, I owe you my life! I wouldn't be able to live on if I knew I had let you die in my place!" Light said, looking down; his bangs coving his face.

"I know I shouldn't say this but… never mind." L said, looking away from Light.

Light sensed the sudden change in the detectives tone, and looked up; something similar to hope shining from his eyes

"What? Tell me!" Light said, trying to urge the detective to tell him what was on his mind.

"No… It is not my place to say such a thing, it would go against everything I believe in." L said, avoiding Light's intense stare.

"Say it." Light said, the possibility of a solution, a way to avoid being separated, that had been brought into light by L, had helped Light regain some of the control of his voice, so as he uttered those two words they were clear and demanding.

L looked up at Light, slightly surprised at the teen's sudden forceful demand, and then he sighed in defeat.

"I meant to say that if I was to die, and you find yourself unable to live on then you could… _die…_ You could enter the dead's kingdom with me, and we could be together… somehow…" L said slowly, not meeting Light's eyes.

"Do you really think that is possible?" Light said, looking at L with wide hopeful eyes; his eyes red and swollen after he had cried so much.

L felt his heart clench at the look Light sent him.

"Of course Light, if Shinigamis exist, then anything is possible, but before such a thing happens I would have to die, and I don't intend to die just yet." L said.

"Of course… of course not… you wouldn't die… not you…" Light kept on muttering similar phrases as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against L's chest.

L gently lifted Light's head into his lap, and Light automatically stretched out his legs and turned so that he was lying sideways with his head in L's lap.

"You should get some sleep, Light-kun" L said, combing through Light's hair in a soothing manner. Light tensed at the intimate touch, but after a few minutes he relaxed into the comforting feeling.

"Can you sing for me L?" Light asked, expecting L to refuse at once, but to his great surprise L began humming a tune he had never heard before.

It was soothing like his touch and made Light feel safe; as if nothing would be able to hurt him. Long before L had time to finish humming the melody Light was fast asleep in his lap.

L looked down at Light; Light had finally relaxed and fallen into a deep dreamless sleep. L had known that the teen would keep having his "emotional breakdowns" for quite some time, but he hadn't expected it to be so _intense_. L had almost _felt _what Light had felt; the hopelessness, worry, fear… L had been tempted to do something, _anything, _to make the chaotic feelings disappear altogether. L finally understood why Light had cut himself over and over.

"_I will do my best to help you Light, it won't be necessary to go as far as hurting yourself." _L whispered to himself.

"So you still remember that melody?" a voice said from the door, and L looked up at his guardian.

"Do you really think it is that easy for me to forget something? Particularly when it is a mystery I don't know the solution to…?" L asked, his face betraying none of the emotions he had been showing Light.

"That melody… it's better if you forget it…" Watari said, a strange expression in his eyes, which L never had seen before.

"You know I won't forget it, at least not now when you have awoken my curiosity." L said seriously, no intending to give in to Watari's stupid demands.

"It will only bring you pain to know… you don't need a new burden to carry when you already have your hands full with that boy." Watari said, tilting his head in Light's direction.

"I'm fine, thank you very much, if you don't wish to tell me then fine, but I assure I have a larger contact-network than I did when I was five. This time I won't have much trouble finding what I want." L said stubbornly; there was no way he was going to back down after his guardian had sparked his curiosity towards the foreign tune.

"I'll tell you, however not now… not here." Watari said his eyes fixated on Light.

"I don't care if he finds out my secrets." L said, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips as he looked at the sleeping teen.

"I know you don't, however it is not the time for him to know yet, not when he is still so unstable, you should save him from the worry and misery it will bring you." Watari said, turning to leave the room.

"Fine, I'll judge whether to let him know or not after you have told me." L said, finally giving in.

"Come to my office whenever you are ready to learn the truth." Watari said, leaving the room, carefully closing the door after himself.

L looked down at the sleeping teen in his lap; Light's face looked as relaxed and innocent as it always did when he was sleeping, all signs of his earlier emotional breakdown gone, except for a little redness around his eyes.

L resumed the patting of Light's head, noticing with envy how his fingers slid smoothly through Light's soft auburn hair without trouble. L's hair was like a ravens nest; there was no way anyone would be able to comb through it without getting stuck. Seconds later L found himself tracing Lights perfectly shaped jawline with the tip of his fingers, feeling Light's soft skin.

He traced Light's cheekbones, his nose and his lips. L's eyes were locked on Light's face, as if in a trance; drinking in the beautiful sight.

Suddenly L snapped out of it and retracted his hand in a hurry.

_What was that feeling…? _L thought confused, rubbing has hand absently on his sweater, pondering on what he had just done.

-x-

"How rare it is to see you frown." Light said, poking L's forehead.

"Have you been awake for long?" L asked, slightly annoyed that he had let his thoughts distract him enough to make him not notice when Light woke up.

"Only a few minutes, I'm surprised you didn't notice, as I am currently lying in your lap, and you stared at me as if I was some sort of cake on an exhibition and you really wanted it, but you couldn't have it." Light said; a teasing smile on his lips.

_Thank God he has calmed down… _L thought gratefully.

"Now you made me hungry, I really want some strawberry cake." L said, pouting.

"This is certainly not what I expected to find when I went looking for the two humans who were the first to manage the impossible." Said a raspy voice from behind L and Light and in the blink of an eye the two of them jumped out of the bed, and stood facing the new arrival, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" L asked, his entire body tense

-x-

**Gawd DX the last scene made me realize how much I suck at fluffy stuff, at least when combined with the one anime character who has the ability to ruin the atmosphere in a funeral, he's just THAT uptight, and the one anime character who don't know the concept of "feelings".. AND to top it off I have made said two characters EXREEMELY emotional in this fic… OH WELL! Long live saint… claus… SANTACLAUS!**

**Love you all!**


	10. Chapter 10: The King

**I feel as if things are going steady now, I might even begin to update on a regular basis instead of whenever I feel like it. Though I fear that the story might get rushed or something…**

**Anyway, enjoy chapter.. um 9? 10? I never remember how many chapters I've written x3**

-x-

"What do you want?" L asked, his body tense.

"I'm more interested in knowing how we can see you." Light said looking straight into the red eyes of the shinigami standing in front of him, his posture and voice relaxed. L looked in wonder at the brown-haired teen.

_Where does all his confidence come from in such situations? _L wondered briefly, though his attention returned to the new arrival as he spoke again.

"Hoho, an overly protective one, and an observant one; how interesting. To answer your questions I need you to answer my question first; Light Yagami and L Lawliet, are you the ones who killed Ryuk and Rem?" The shinigami asked.

"Why do…" L began, but he was cut short by Light's confident words:

"Yes, we are."

The shinigami smiled at this, making his contorted face look even more twisted.

"Then let me applaud you, aside from myself you are the first among both shinigami and humans to have ever managed to kill a shinigami, and not only one but two."

"Aside from yourself… you don't mean…?" Light said, his blood draining from his face and his confidence fading away.

"That is correct Light Yagami I am the Almighty Shinigami king. The ruler of the dead. This is the reason why you are able to see me; I am the one who created every single Death Note out there, and by touching a Death Note you do not only gain the ability to see the shinigami who owned the Death Note, but also me, the one who created it." The shinigami king explained, answering Light's first question.

"Then why are you here? Do you intend to kill us as punishment for having killed two of your kind?" L asked, stepping in front of Light in a protective manner.

"Oh but you see that would be too boring; lately there haven't been much to do in the shinigami realm, so I was thinking I could use this opportunity to have some fun. And by fun I mean a life and death game. You both seem to be very fond of those, so this shouldn't be that much of a problem." The shinigami king said, grinning evilly at the two humans in front of him.

"And if we refuse?" L asked.

"It will cost you one life, no more, no less, and obviously it will have to be one of your lives, Light Yagami and L Lawliet. So tell me, what do you say, do you wish to participate in the game?" The shinigami king asked.

L looked at Light, feeling terribly conflicted; he didn't want to endanger the teen, but refusing the challenge would mean one of them would have to die, and that would be breaking his promise to Light.

Light looked at L, knowing what the detective was thinking, so he decided to make the decision easier for L.

"Yes, we accept your challenge." Light said, sending L a stern look, saying; _"don't you dare contradict me."_

"Wonderful, then I will take my leave." The shinigami king said, earning two pairs of confused eyes locked on him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Why are you leaving, we just accepted your game." L said confused.

"Well isn't it obvious? This game is a real-life game, your stage will be your realm, and the rules are unknown to you, the game will start as soon as I return to my realm." The shinigami king said, smirking at the two confused humans, and without further explanation he walked through the wall and out of the building.

As soon as he was out in free air he flew towards the sky, in the direction of the closest portal to the shinigami realm.

After the shinigami king had left Light and L stayed in their tense positions; expecting something to happen at any minute.

After standing like that in silence for a few minutes the duo finally relaxed, figuring that nothing was going to happen in the closest future.

"Phew…" Light said, letting himself fall back down onto the bed.

"Well, that was certainly… anticlimactic…" L said, sitting down on the bed next to Light.

"Yeah…" Light said thoughtfully, gazing distantly on the ceiling.

L looked at Light, studying his expression; Light looked almost bored, though L could tell something was on his mind. Then suddenly without warning L found himself pinned to the bed, both his arms and legs trapped under Light's weight. L tried to wriggle out of Light's grip, and throw off the teen, but to no avail. L looked at Light's face and to his great surprise the sight that met him was a furious expression.

"Wh- what?" L said confused at Light's sudden anger.

"You would have sacrificed yourself to make sure I didn't end up in danger, wouldn't you?" Light said.

"Light-kun, in that situation I had to consider all the options we had, and-" L began, but Light cut him short.

"Answer me! Yes or no; would you have sacrificed yourself for me?" Light asked, tears threatening to spill over the edge of his eyes.

"No… I did consider it, but I promised you I would not give up on my own life that easily, and I intend to stay true to that promise." L said.

At those words Lights released his grip and got up from the bed in a hurry, turning his back to L, for a second L thought he had seen Light blush, but discarded the thought; Light didn't blush.

"Light-kun…?" L said, perplexed by Lights sudden change in demeanour.

"It's nothing… what time is it?" Light asked, changing his weight from one foot to another, unable to stand still.

"It's… 5:37 am, you slept for several hours, so I don't think there is any point in you trying to get any more sleep now." L said after checking what time it was on his cell-phone, which conveniently enough had been in his pocket.

"Oh, well then we should get started on the investigation then…" Light said, walking towards the door.

"Light-kun, are you sure you are ok?" L asked concerned, moving to the other side of the room so that he was standing right next to Light.

"Yeah, why?" Light asked, careful not to look L in the eye.

"Because you just suggested that we waste several hours, until the rest of the team arrives, by pretending to investigate the Kira-case, which, if you had forgotten, we already know the answer to." L said.

"Oh, well… then we should try to come up with a plan; we need to know what to do from now on, considering we can't have the team work on this case forever…" Light said, absentmindedly rubbing his left arm; a habit he had gotten recently.

L noticed what Light was doing and frowned. Then he carefully stepped in front of Light, grabbed his arm and folded up Light's sleeve, looking for any new wounds. To L's great relief he found none.

Then L carefully planted a butterfly kiss on each of the scars, before he looked up, straight into Light's eyes.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? I'll be here for you no matter what." L said.

Light looked at L; his face slightly flushed with embarrassment. He nodded in response, trying to ignore the lingering feeling of L's soft lips upon his skin, and walked out of the room, knowing L would follow him.

Light walked in the direction of the main room, where all their investigations were conducted, but a loud growling sound from his stomach made him turn and walk towards the kitchen instead. L still right behind him; an amused smile dancing on his lips as he heard the incriminating sound from Light's stomach.

"Let's discuss our next move over a good piece of cake then," L said, feeling slightly hungry himself a well.

"Ugh, no way am I gonna eat that sticky substance for breakfast, I prefer cereal… and some black coffee." Light said, shivering at thought of eating cake for breakfast.

"Your loss." L said simply.

-x-

"Laying all the blame on another person _would_ be the most convenient thing to do in this situation…" Light said thoughtfully. He and L had been discussing possible ways to end the investigation without revealing that Light was Kira, while eating their breakfast. "… but I wouldn't feel right doing that, I already have enough lives on my conscience…"

"I agree it would be the most convenient, but we would have to find an outstandingly intelligent person then, everyone already knows that Kira is a genius." L said through a large mouthful of cake.

"True… but saying that we found Kira dead wouldn't really cut it, because we would have to identify the body either way, we would have to show the rest of the team his or her profile and the family and friends of the victim would have to be questioned, the chance of being found out is too large. Even if they aren't as intelligent as us they are still professional investigators, they have lots of experience." Light said, frowning in concentration as he tried to think of a solution.

"Yes… we can't claim that Kira is really dead without proving it by showing them a dead body, unless it's burned…" L said.

"No, I don't think it would work it might still be possible to identify the body based on the DNA on in the burned body, and for the DNA to be destroyed the body would have been burned to the extent of being just a pile of ash, and for all the others know we could be presenting a thoroughly burned piece of wood." Light said, sipping contently on his coffee.

"True… but using a dead body might be possible after all…" L said, and Light could see how his thoughts were suddenly kicked into action, already thinking of all the possible people they could use.

"How?" Light asked, not understanding what L meant.

"If we use someone who it would be impossible to trace to any home, any relatives, any friends… a person or rather, a body with no personal record what so ever." L said.

"If you are talking about yourself, then discard the idea at once." Light said.

"No, not me, I'm very much alive, and I'd like to stay that way, but there are others like me, the people from the orphanage I grew up in, they are all far above common people when It comes to intelligence, they all also have their perks, like me and my cake. Even if we are brought up to do exceptional jobs from the shadows, and to protect the world and all that, we are probably more exposed than anyone to insanity, no-one would question it if any of us lost their minds. Well, at least none of those who know about us, we can reveal just enough about the person we use that the team will believe it, but not enough for them to be able to locate the orphanage or any of its occupants." L explained.

"That idea is crazy… but… it might actually work. Though I won't agree to blame anyone who is innocent," Light said, processing all the information he had just received.

"Of course, since I am L, I have access to information about all of the kids there, so I'll look for a few candidates who had criminal background as well." L said.

"Yeah, I can come up with a list of attributes they would need…" Light said slowly, looking down into his half-finished bowl of cereal.

"I don't blame you Light-kun, boredom can drive anyone mad, you mustn't let the guilt eat away at your conscience, you might lose your mind that way, it wouldn't be the first time I've seen that happen, and certainly not the last." L said, rising from his chair to put his empty plate in the sink.

"I know, but still… I do feel guilty for fooling the whole world and cheating the justice system." Light said, stirring his cereal absentmindedly.

"Of course Light-kun, if you didn't feel at least a little guilty I would have seriously considered arresting you after all, I merely meant that you mustn't let it take over your mind. Now I have an important discussion with Watari that I can't postpone any longer. You can work on that list of yours in the meantime." L said, before walking towards Watari's office.

Light frowned as he looked at L's retreating back, feeling slightly confused at L's sudden departure. Then he shrugged, deciding it was nothing.

-x-

"Now we can talk in peace, Watari, tell me about that melody." L said as he closed the door to Watari's office behind himself.

"Fine… sit down." Watari said, and L complied.

-x-

**I know I made the shinigami-kind very… Ryuk-ish, but it was the best personality I could think of. I did consider making him an old lazy shinigami who didn't really care much about anything, but that would make his actions in this chapter rather weird and not fitting.. so, I can't remember if he was actually ever described in detail in the manga or anime, so if he was then I'm sorry if he is totally out of character.. x3**

**Did you like it? When finally Ryuk and Rem is out of their way two new issues pop into the picture!**

**Oh, and do you think things are kinda busy? Like too much is happening at once? Should I slow down the pace a little bit or is it fin as it is?**

**I would appreciate reviews or PM's with your opinion! 3**


	11. Chapter 11: Truth

**So, where does the mysterious melody come from? Wanna know? Then keep reading! Enjoy chapter… 11… I think.**

**I actually waited since a few days ago for anyone to guess the answer to the riddle I have at the end in this chapter, then I realized that I hadn't even published this chapter… I'm such a moron sometimes…**

-x-

"Now we can talk in peace, Watari, tell me about that melody." L said as he closed the door to Watari's office behind himself.

"Fine… sit down." Watari said, and L complied.

"So… where do I begin…" Watari said.

"How about the beginning?" L suggested, making Watari smile.

"You are still very much like a child L, I wonder if you'll ever change." Watari said. L felt his eye twitch slightly; Watari was too good at beating around the bush, but L knew the fastest way to make the old man come to the point was by simply listen to what he had to say.

"33 years ago a little girl was born into a very rich family here in England. The family was a very old fashioned one, and they held strongly on to their traditions. This family was very strict about their blood, and their children's marriages were always planned beforehand, so that they would keep their clean blood. The girl that was born into this family was the lord's first child, and thus he immediately arranged her marriage with a boy from another rich family. Her name was Elizabeth. She was an extraordinarily intelligent child, and as she grew older she bloomed into an extraordinarily beautiful girl. She had long blond wavy hair, and mesmerizing blue eyes that captivated anyone who laid their eyes on her. When she turned 16 her everyone made a fuss about her coming wedding, and everyone were so caught up in their joy and preparations that none noticed how frustrated she had become. A life in what she saw as captivity was not a life for her, she became restless, and she wanted to _do _something, _anything _but stay in that house. So, the day before the wedding Elizabeth fled the country, she took a plane to the other side of the earth; to Japan. When she arrived in Japan she was overwhelmed by how different everything was; the food, the culture, the language, everything, so before she had the chance to find somewhere she got lost. She lost her purse with all her money, and even her suitcase with all the clothes she had brought with her…" Watari paused there, giving L a few seconds to process what he had been told so far; not that he needed it.

"As I mentioned earlier Elizabeth was a very intelligent girl, yes, very intelligent indeed… She ripped off half of the skirt she was wearing and unbuttoned several of the top buttons on her blouse so that she would reveal as much skin as possible, then she walked the streets, posing as a whore, hoping that someone would take her in for the night. Poor Elizabeth… A man named Michio, a Japanese name of the meaning "man on the (correct) path" as I am sure you know, saw Elizabeth walk the streets, desperately trying to lure some man to take her home. Michio was an outstanding police officer, and moved quickly upwards in the ranks, and at that time everyone admired him. Michio had no problem seeing what Elizabeth was trying to do, so he drove over to her, with the intention of arresting her, however as soon as she saw him she ran over to him and hugged him. Michio was stunned of course, and seconds later he received a steady stream of words in English, a language he hardly understood. He tried to pry her off and simply leave, but she refused to let go of him, so in the end he took her home. When they arrived at his house he gave her an English-Japanese dictionary, a pen and some paper, and then he went into the kitchen to make them some dinner. When Michio returned to the living room where he had left Elizabeth he expected her to have written a few sentences explaining her situation in poor Japanese, with the dictionary as her only support, so he was taken by surprise when she had written out three full pages with almost no grammatical mistakes, and all this in under one hour. She handed him the papers and he began reading. When Michio finished reading everything about the reason Elizabeth was in Japan, and how she had lost her belongings in the midst of the chaotic streets that afternoon he decided that he would let her stay. He wrote down everything she needed to know on a new paper, and then he gave it to her and let her use the dictionary to find out what his response to her begging was. The next few days Elizabeth stayed in Michiro's apartment, cooking for him, cleaning, and such. When she didn't have anything to do she sat down with the dictionary and read. It only took her two days before she could communicate with Michiro, and after a week she had mastered 85 per cent of the language. Michiro was shocked by her fast progress to say the least, but he enjoyed her company so even after she had gotten herself a new credit card and passport, and all the other necessities he let her stay. After a while it evolved into a romantic relationship as you can imagine, and two years later when Elizabeth turned 18 she had a child. A little boy, and oh how happy she was. But at that time her family had finally tracked her down; they intended to forcibly take her home and have her married. Elizabeth noticed this, so she left Michiro and flew back to England. She had brought her little boy with her, and after looking for several weeks, just barely managing to keep her family off her trail she finally found what she had been searching for..." Here Watari paused again, and then he changed point of view in his little story. L would have been thoroughly confused had it not been for the fact that he already knew Watari so well.

"When I was young I was an inventor, and through the years I became more and more well-known around in Europe, and later also in other parts of the world. After the Second World War I founded Wammy's house using the fortune I earned as an inventor. Wammy's house was meant to be a training facility for children with exceptional intelligence and skills. Elizabeth had heard of me and my institution, so she searched for me until she found me, insisting that I took in her son. I knew naught of her and her past so I declined her offer. However she didn't back down, she kept begging, so in the end I told her that she could give her child to a nearby orphanage, and then I would make sure he wasn't adopted until he was old enough for me to see whether he was worthy of living at Wammy's or not. I intended to go to my office to get her the address to the orphanage I had in mind, however as soon as I stepped out of the room she began humming a soft melody for her son. I stopped dead in my tracks and ended up staying there until she was done. It was such a beautiful and mysterious melody, it told tales of long forgotten places on this earth, and it soothed me, I felt at peace, just standing there listening to her. It was like magic. That was the melody you miraculously enough remember still..." Watari said, his eyes cast downward.

"Then Elizabeth was my…?" L couldn't finish the sentence; he didn't know what to feel. Was he happy? Was he sad?

"Elizabeth was your mother and Michiro was your father. I am sorry to say that I do not know what happened to your parents after I took you in, but not long after that day Elizabeth's family went bankrupt and Michiro suddenly quit his job in Japan and disappeared. I tried to trace them, but I couldn't find them, no matter what." Watari explained.

"Elizabeth and Michiro…" L said thoughtfully.

"Do you regret learning the truth?" Watari asked, looking at his ward.

"No, not knowing is torturous for me. I would never have gotten it out of my mind if you hadn't told me the truth… even if the truth hurts…" L said, feeling uncharacteristically emotional. "Please excuse me, I have to return to Light, he is probably beginning to wonder what is taking me so long." L said before he hastily got out of his chair and out of Watari's office.

"I'm sorry L…" Watari said quietly as L left the room.

-x-

_So my parents weren't murdered after all… Why is it that now, after all these years secluded from the rest of the world… secluded from my own feelings… why is it that now I suddenly find myself unable to keep that same distance to myself…? Am I falling out of my role as L…?_

L had walked to the roof instead of back to the main room where Light was; he wanted to calm down and sort out his feelings first.

L watched the sky as the grey clouds became darker, and soon the rain was falling heavily from the dark clouds. L closed his eyes in pleasure as he felt thousands of raindrops hit his skin and clothes, he felt as if it washed all his worry away, leaving him empty.

_This is how it should be… _L thought, as he locked his emotions into his heart again. _I've let my defences fall lately… I can only allow such openness around Light... he is the only one I'll ever let in to my heart… Only Light…_

-x-

_What is taking L so long? _Light wondered, as he looked at his finished list. It was a very vague list, containing only the attributes and personality traits that had shone through his killings.

_Well, I might as well check the news while I wait... _Light thought, turning on the closest computer. The computer used only a few seconds to turn on, and soon Light was reading through online newspaper after online newspaper, both national and international ones.

As time passed Light noticed a case that caught his interest, it was only written about in a few newspapers; it was about a murder that had happened close to Winchester in England.

In the online newspapers the reporters had only written about a body of a man of Japanese descent, who had been killed by having his throat slit with a sharp tool, – the police assumed it was a scalpel.

He had also had strange carvings along his spine; however the police had not let any pictures leak to the press.

Light felt his curiosity spark and decided to hack into the English police's files to take a look at the pictures of the body.

Light cracked his knuckles and began typing away. After thirty minutes of trying and failing to hack the police files, a loud beep from one of the other computers sounded, and Light looked up in wonder.

He walked over to the computer and saw that it had automatically logged itself on when a mail had arrived.

Light sat down by the computer and opened the mail, even though he knew better than to read other peoples mails curiosity got the better of him. The mail was for L from the English police, asking him if he would help them investigating a recent murder.

_Weird, I thought Watari handled all job-requests for L… _Light thought confused, and read on.

The mail described a murder that had happened in Winchester. The victim had had strange carvings on his back, and the police believed it was a fitting mystery for L to solve as none of their experts had been able to make sense of it.

Light's eyes widened as he realized what case they were requesting help with. _Could it really be…?_

Light scrolled down to where the pictures were, and frowned. _What sort of murderer is this…?_ _What in the heavens does "XXIII I XIII XIII XXV'XIX VIII XV XXI XIX V" mean…?! _Light thought confused, and at that moment he decided to do something he _knew _was wrong of him; he decided to accept the job in L's name.

-x-

**Sooo. This chapter might have been a little boring-ish? Idk, but yeah, I don't know if anything about L's past is revealed in the original manga/anime or anywhere, but if it is and this don't fit in… then sorry… it'll have to be this way for now..**

**So, anyone able to crack the code? ****XXIII I XIII XIII XXV'XIX XV XXI XIX V?**

**If anyone is able to figure that one out I'll be majorly impressed. I would have drawn something for that someone, but I still haven't finished the drawing for meoww-chan, (frow chapter 5 or something…) since my tablet got fucked up and I don't have money to buy a new one atm. But idk, you'll have my praise if you figure it out ;3**

**Oh, and you don't need to have read the manga or watched the anime to figure it out.**


	12. Chapter 12: Departure

**Ok, planned to post this chapter four days ago, however I have been having some troubles with my laptop and school is getting really busy again. But hey, at least it's not been a month since my last update!**

**So yeah, lots of people were able to guess what the code in the last chapter meant, really impressive!**

**And some said that Light is really smart and that he should have figured it out immediately… I hate to break it to you, but Light **_**is **_**Japanese, so even if he is a genius he hasn't even been to England before, and thus knows very little about it.**

**An then someone said the riddle seemed familiar, and mentioned something called "the LA BB murder case", or something like that, I didn't know what it was at the time, so I asked a few people to help me find out since I'm too laze to do such things myself (JK) and found out it was a book.**

**So I downloaded it from piratebay (sorry guys, can't buy it from where I live D:) and read it, and sure enough, a similar riddle to my own was used in that book. So yeah, that's all I can say without spoiling the story for you.**

**ENJOY!**

-x-

L didn't know how long he had been standing in the rain, but his feet was beginning to ache, so he decided that it would be better to lie down.

The sound of the raindrops hitting the ground intensified when L lay down. L tried to keep his eyes open, but the comfortable feeling of the rain massaging him made him feel sleepy, and soon his eyes slid shut.

-x-

Light knew he was doing something wrong, of course, but he would give whatever money he received for solving the mystery to L, so what harm could it do?

Light replied to that mail, saying that he accepted the job. Light smiled as he got a pen and paper and began trying to solve the riddle carved into the victims back.

_XXIII I XIII XIII XXV'XIX VIII XV XXI XIX V_

Light sat there for a few moments, scribbling on the paper, trying to think of what it could mean, when suddenly the answer hit him, and Light felt like smacking his forehead for not noticing immediately; _it's a riddle inside a riddle! ' Written in Roman numerals, if we translate that into normal numbers, it will read; "23 1 13 13 25' 19 8 15 21 19 5". This alone does not make any sense, however if each of the numbers represents a letter in the alphabet it will turn into… Wammy'shouse… Wammy's house? What is that? Or rather _where _is that?_

Light tried to search the internet for "Wammy's house" but he was unable to find anything about it.

_Was I wrong about my assumption? Did I do a mistake somewhere? No, this definitely correct. _Light thought, frowning at the paper where he had written down everything he had found out so far.

_Maybe L knows something?_

Light stood from the computer, after turning it off, and then he walked towards the elevator, intending to search for L.

Light first headed to Watari's office, where he knocked carefully. Watari opened the door after only a few seconds.

"What is it, Light-kun?" Watari asked politely.

"Do you know where L is?" Light asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"I'm not sure if he wants any company right now." Watari said curtly, performing a half-bow half-nod before retreating into his office.

_Why wouldn't L want any company…? Did something happen during their meeting? Could he be on the roof again…? Isn't it raining? I guess it's worth taking a look…_

Light shrugged as he turned and walked to the elevator again, taking the lift as far as it would take him, then he had to walk up the stairs from the last floor to the roof. When Light finally arrived on the roof the sight that met him shook him to his bones; L was lying on the ground, drenched in rainwater.

At first Light stood entirely still, wondering if what he was seeing was really true, then, when he realized that it in fact was real, he ran over to the unconscious form of L. When Light reached L he crouched next to him.

"L? Wake up! L!" Light called, hoping that the eccentric detective only was asleep, and to Light's great relief L stirred when he called his name.

"Light-kun? You should go inside, the rain will make you wet." L said, his words slurred.

"L? Are you feeling alright? Did you hit your head or something?" Light asked, feeling L's head for wounds, but was unable to find any.

"I'm alright, I'm just a little tired, that's all." L said, slowly closing his eyes.

"Do you really intend to sleep here?" Light asked perplexed.

"Of course…" L said slowly.

"But you'll catch a cold if you sleep here. Hell you might have one already!" Light said, however the detective was already fast asleep. "Oh fuck it…" Light said, and then he lifted the detective bridal style with the intention of carrying him to bed.

-x-

"How long has he been asleep?" Watari asked, as he entered L's bedroom without warning, a new set of clothes for L in his hands. Light jumped to his feet at the sudden sound, however when he saw who it was he sat down again.

"I don't know, he was sleeping on the roof when I found him, I tried to wake him but he didn't want to wake up, so I decided to carry him to bed." Light explained.

"Hm… Well, it is not the first time he's spent hours in the rain, I'm sure he will be fine; however we should get those wet clothes off him." Watari said. No apology for his earlier behaviour.

Light decided to take the obvious hint and avoid a conflict; leaving the room so that Watari could take care of his ward.

-x-

"_My dear little Lawliet… I love you… Mommy will always love you… You are such a beautiful child… you have the pretty hair of your father, and my fair skin... I promise we'll meet again, no matter how long it'll take…" The beautiful woman rose from the sofa, putting her baby down on the sofa, before she left him alone. _

_The baby began crying; he wanted to call out for her, he wanted her to come back and take him with her._

_He didn't want to be alone._

L's eyes sprang open as he sat up in his bed, making the world momentarily spin around him.

L looked around and recognized his own bedroom. The dark room was bathed in the faint light of the moon shining through his curtains.

As L made to rise from the bed he noticed the presence of another person. He looked down and froze; Light was sitting on his knees on the floor, his head resting on the edge of the bed.

The moonlight shone upon his tan complexion making his skin look like silver. His back rose and sunk slowly as Light breathed.

_He's beautiful… _L thought, and realised how fitting the teen's name truly was. _"Light… Tuski… Moon…" _L whispered, as if it was some sort of magical incantation.

L let himself fall back upon the bed; he felt very well rested, and doubted he would be able to fall asleep again, but he didn't want to leave the bed in fear of waking Light.

L heard his phone vibrate on the nightstand. He looked at it dully before he took it and flipped it open to see who had sent him a message.

The message was from Watari, asking him if he was feeling better, and if there was anything he wanted.

"_I don't require anything at the moment, however I would love some cake in a few hours, please have it prepared._

_I also think that it is time we return to Wammy's house, it's been a while since I've seen my successors, and I need access to the archive there."_

L typed the message on his phone and sent it to Watari, wondering if Watari would question his need of searching through the archive at his orphanage.

Soon a new message popped into his phone, and L flipped it open to read it.

"_I shall prepare some gateau with cream and strawberries. I will have your airplane flown here and ready to depart tonight, though you will have to inform the investigation team about this." _The message read, and L rolled his eyes. His guardian had a strange habit of always telling him what to do whenever he came up with rash decisions.

L put away his phone and looked back at Light again. L reached out and carefully began combing his hand through Light's silky hair, careful not to wake the teen.

L lay like that for what felt like an eternity, but could just as well have been seconds. L leaned forward, towards the sleeping form of Light, gently pressing his lips upon Light's soft ones.

L didn't know what possessed him to do it, Light had just looked so… _tempting… So desirable… so beautiful._

-x-

Light awoke slowly; he was a light sleeper, and awoke easily by sounds. He felt heavy and tired, and decided to pretend to be asleep. The low buzzing of L's phone was what had woken the teen. He heard the detective shift on the bed, probably to reach for the phone, then he heard the familiar sound of L opening his phone. After a few seconds he heard the clicking of the buttons on the phone; the detective was answering to whatever message he had gotten.

When L received and read his answer he put away his phone again carefully. When the phone was put away his attention was turned to Light, who was still lying with his eyes closed.

Light felt the already familiar sensation of a soft hand combing through his hair carefully. The comfortable feeling made Light slip in and out of unconsciousness, not fully able to fall asleep, but at the same time unable to stay awake and alert.

In his half-conscious state Light thought nothing of it as L's hand moved to his cheek and stayed there, until he felt a soft pressure upon his lips, that could be nothing but L kissing him.

Light's eyes snapped open, and suddenly he was fully awake; however the kiss had caught him off guard, and the teen found himself unable to move his body. He stared at L, who slowly leaned back again. It had been a short kiss, but it left a burning sensation on the teen's lips, that rapidly spread throughout his body.

Light raised his head and stared at L in disbelief and embarrassment.

L looked stunned at Light, not sure what to say to explain the situation.

"I must apologise, I don't know why I did such a silly thing. I assure you it won't happen again." L said monotonously, rising from the bed and walking out of the room in a hurry, leaving Light to sit there alone.

Light frowned as L left; he had felt something similar to _disappointment _at L's words, but that wasn't possible, was it?

L had said in his usual emotionless voice that he would never kiss Light again. _The natural reaction to such a statement should be relief… _Light thought confused.

-x-

The rest of the day passed by in silence. The task force had noticed L and Lights unnaturally cold behaviour towards each other, and so it affected their moods as well; everyone was tense and didn't speak more than necessary.

Around 2 pm L decided that it was time to drop the bomb.

"Everyone, in a few hours Watari and I will leave for England, and seeing as Light isn't completely cleared of suspicion yet I will have to bring him with me." L said, drawing a deep breath, preparing for the reactions he knew he would get.

"WHAT?! WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Soichiro yelled furiously.

"Yeah, why would you be leaving like this all of a sudden?" Matsuda asked

"The is all classified information, however I will tell you this; my base is in England, and I will have to travel there to search through a certain archive to find information about someone I suspect may be Kira. You will of course be free to take a break for as long as we are away, use the opportunity to spend time with your families." L said.

"You have another suspect? Why didn't you tell us? We can help!" Matsuda said enthusiastically, and L sighed.

"I didn't tell you because I hoped to get this done quietly; we will not be away for too long, and in this case it's better to travel with fewer people, as I wish to keep the knowledge of my real home limited to as few people as possible." L said.

"Then why bring my son, you suspect him, right?" Soichiro said, trying not to yell at the detective.

"Well, I happen to think of Light as my successor; he is the first one I have ever met who has been able to rival my intelligence, also if he really is Kira he will have no opportunity to tell anyone of my home anyway, I shall personally make sure of that." L said monotonously, turning back to his computer, deciding that whatever complaints the task force had left could be discussed among themselves.

The team argued loudly, directing their complaints at L first, but when they got no response they turned on Light. The teen tried to explain that he was ok with going to England, but his words fell on deaf ears.

4 hours later, when L, Light and Watari were ready for departure everyone in the task force had accepted the fact that they would leave and be gone for a little while, everyone except Soichiro.

"L, I'll say this only once; if you think of my son as your successor that is great, however I can't let you take him with you as a suspect. Exactly how much do you suspect Light at this point?" Soichiro asked sternly.

"At the current time my suspicions towards Light-kun are as good as 0 per cent. However, I won't let him out of my sight until I have completely cleared my suspicions. My other suspect is currently roaming freely in England, and has the opportunity to kill more and more people as time passes by, if he is Kira. I believe there is a 40 per cent chance." L lied expertly, watching Soichiro's anger fade into guilt.

"Fine, but I swear if anything happens to him-" Soichiro began, but was cut short by Watari.

"Yagami-san, I assure you I will not allow anything to happen to either of these two, L has always been my responsibility, and as soon as we leave the country Light's life will be of equal importance to me." Watari said, giving Soichiro a comforting smile.¨

"Fine…" Soichiro said, before he turned and left, not staying to say goodbye.

-x-

**And so they take off to L's childhood home!**

**This chapter was sort of uneventful plot-wise, (in my opinion at least), but L's feelings are changing! "Something desirable" Is added to the list of things Light is to L!**

**So what did you think? Are people waiting for L and Light to move on with their relationship?**

**Yeah, so am I. They are so SLOW!**

**Please leave a comment/review-thingy or whatever and tell me what you think!**

**Thanks for reading! 3**


	13. Chapter 13: Wammy's house

**Lol, finally they arrive at Wammy's!**

**Anyway, I really appreciate all support and advice I have gotten so far, I know in the first author note in this fic I made it very clear that I didn't want anyone to argue my view on what it is like to cut yourself due to that being sort of a sore spot, and you all surprised me by taking it all so well. So thank you so much for that. And of course, thanks to Enjie who keeps being an amazing beta-reader, 'cause I know **_**I'm**_** terrible at reading stuff while looking for mistakes, I just overlook them…**

**So yeah, a little emotional moment there, so to summarize: Thank you!**

**And also I will **_**try **_**to update every Friday, and **_**maybe, **_**this will become regular thing; a habit. And then maybe, just maybe… I don't know. Shorter waiting time for you I guess x3**

**Enjoy!**

-x-

"Light-kun, you have to wake up." L said, carefully shaking the sleeping teen, trying to wake him up from his medicine-induced sleep. The plane from Japan to England had just landed, and Light had managed to sleep through the entire flight.

"_ugh…_ I have a terrible headache, would you mind lowering your voice a little bit?" Light asked, rubbing his temples, trying to figure out where they were.

"I told you it would be better to choose between travel sickness pills and sleeping pills despite the long flight." L said, shaking his head faintly at the brunettes stubbornness. It was his own fault that he had developed a headache.

Light could practically feel the detective rolling his eyes mentally, and had he been any less stoic the teen was sure he would have said it all in an annoying "I-told-you-so" voice that teenager girls tended to use when they for once were right about something. Not that L wasn't annoying enough when he pointed out Light's mistake; but Light liked to think that things could have been worse, mostly to shield his pride a little.

"Yeah, so it was a bad idea to take two different pills, but they did their job; I slept the entire way and I didn't throw up." Light said, following L out of the elegant private plane they had travelled in.

"Yes you did, and thanks to that I had an incredibly boring journey…" L said, a hint of a pout on his face as he walked into the black limousine Watari had arranged for them. L had hoped Light would be awake with him, so that they could play chess together. Chess was always such an interesting pastime when it came to Light, because you could never tell who of them was going to win.

Light stopped in his tracks and stared at the car for a few seconds before he followed L into the limo. When they both were safely inside the limo Watari closed the door after them before he got into the driver's seat.

"So…" Light said, hoping another painfully awkward silence wasn't going to occur.

Light thought about the first time L had kissed him; at that time he hadn't had much time to contemplate it, and even later when he _did _think about it, he hadn't wanted to believe that the detective would have such feelings for him. He had thought it had been a way of calming him down after breaking such terrible news to him.

This time the kiss could have been perceived as nothing but a romantic gesture, and for some reason it had affected Light more than all the time he had slept with girls put together ever would have been able to.

"Light-kun, do you know how to speak English?" L asked in Japanese, earning a look from Light that said _Are you serious?_

"Yes Ryuzaki, I'm very well educated in this language." Light answered in English.

"¿oh? bueno, que ridículo de mi parte, debí de haberlo adivinado, ¿conoces algun otro idioma común?" _Oh? Well how silly of me, I should have guessed, do you know any other common languages?_ L asked in Spanish, making Light smirk; he was being challenged.

"As a matter of fact I know quite a fair amount of languages, I assume you do as well?" Light answered in French, mostly to have something to say to prove his statement.

"Then let's see who lasts the longest." L said in German.

"Yeah, you're on, there's no way I'm gonna lose!" Light said in Russian.

"Of course not, let's move out of the European zone." L said in Korean.

"Is it really that wise to choose languages from countries closer to my home?" Light asked in Mandarin.

"I was under the impression that Asian people don't really care for learning other Asian languages." L said in Vietnamese.

"Du kan ha rätt, men jag är inte precis en vanlig Japansk tonåring då." _You may be right, but I'm not the average Japanese teenager am I now?_ Light shot back in Swedish.

"Å? Så du ble tom for Asiatiske språk?" _Oh, so you ran out of Asian languages? _L asked in Norwegian.

"I could ask you the same." Light said in Finnish.

"No, I merely felt like speaking another European language, that's all." L said in Greek.

"Yeah right, whatever you say." Light answered in Latin.

"Would you mind ending this game in a tie?" L asked in Arabic.

"Why, you did you run out of languages?" Light asked mockingly in Dutch, cocking his eyebrow at L.

"No I would like to talk to you a little about the place we are going to… I believe I told you a little about it before, I probably mentioned how everyone there have their quirks and they all have above average mental capabilities. My point is many of them would probably annoy you quite a lot, however I must stress that you can't pick a fight with them, it will definitely turn into a disaster." L said in English.

"In other words you want me to keep a low profile." Light concluded.

"Not exactly… You see I would never bring anyone but my successors to that place, and they all are aware of that, so they will most likely test you." L said, finding it hard to explain the situation as it involved social interaction, and that was by far his weakest point.

"So I have to prove myself to them?" Light asked, not entirely sure what he wanted of him.

"More or less, in a peaceful way though." L said,

"You know for some reason I feel more like we are going to some asylum rather than an orphanage." Light said.

"Well, you're not too far off the mark with that assumption." L replied, a humorous smile upon his lips.

"You really are crazy." Light said, shaking his head in disbelief, though he couldn't stop a small smile from forming on his lips.

"I guess I can live with that." L said, and Light laughed, all the tension he had felt earlier gone without a trace.

"We are here." Watari said from next to Light, and Light almost jumped out of his seat; _almost. _He hadn't noticed that the car had stopped moving and that Watari had opened the door next to him.

L merely nodded before he practically pushed Light out of the car. Light stumbled a few steps, trying to regain his footing. When he did he looked at the building in front of him and gaped.

He didn't really know what to expect when L had told him they were heading to his childhood home, however the large castle-like building in front of him was far from it.

The orphanage had light grey stone walls, and large windows with golden frames.

"Wow…" Light said in awe.

"Brace yourself." L said, earning a slightly scared look from Light. "And welcome to Wammy's house." L added as he pulled open the large widen double-doors in a rather dramatic manner.

Light felt something stir in the back of his mind at L's words, however his headache had not subsided, so he decided to let the matter be.

It was early evening in England, and Wammy's house swarmed with life until two strangers entered unannounced. In only a few minutes all of Wammy's children had gathered around the duo.

"Well if it isn't L, long time no see," a voice said from the middle of the crowd, making Wammy's children scatter to let the one who had spoken through.

Out of the crowd walked a thin teenager with blonde hair, clad in tight black leather clothes from top to toe. The teenager was followed by a boy with dark red hair, which easily could be confused with brown in the right light, wearing goggles, and a small albino boy dressed in white.

"You never told me that you actually have met L before, Mello." The albino said in a monotone voice, much like L's own voice. The albino boy hadn't even looked at the blonde boy when he had spoken; he had merely stared at the Rubik's cube in his hands, trying to solve it.

"Why should I share classified information with you Near?" The boy called Mello replied smugly.

"I am the first in line to succeed L…" Near said matter-of-factly.

"You seem awfully keen on arguing in front of your idol, wouldn't it be better to at least pretend to be worthy of your titles as first and second?" The redhead said pulling a pack of smokes and a lighter from his jeans, earning a glare from Mello.

"There is no point; we all know that L exceeds us by far, so he would see through any pity act of ours anyway." Near said.

"Near, Mello, Matt." L acknowledged the top three students at Wammy's with a slight nod.

The crowd had begun muttering excitedly amongst themselves, thrilled over the fact that they finally got to see the great L in person, and curious as to who the extremely normal-looking teenager next to him was.

"So, who's the I'm-so-handsome-nobody's-worth-shit-to-me-guy standing next to you?" Mello asked, openly staring at Light, while pulling out a large chocolate from his tight leather-pants' pocket, and taking a large bite from it.

"Obviously I can't tell you his real name, such information is classified, but you will know him as Moon. As I'm sure you've already guessed he is from today onwards officially in line for the succession to the title of L." L said, not giving Light any room to speak.

"He doesn't look like much to me, what number?" Mello asked.

"He's number one now." L said and the entire room fell quiet. Near looked up from his Rubik's cube and studied Light intently.

Mello, who had been about to eat another mouthful of his chocolate, stopped mid-motion, which resulted in him standing there gaping wide eyed at Light. Matt had forgotten all about the smoke hanging from the corner of his mouth and the Gameboy he had previously ben clicking furiously away at as he carefully pushed his goggles to his forehead to get a clearer view of Light.

"Is he far above us?" Near asked, wanting to know what they were dealing with.

"Equal-" L began, and everyone relaxed, however L wasn't done yet; "With me." He finished, and several of the teens and children surrounding them gasped. This time the top three students actually dropped what they had in their hands due to the shock.

"You're not joking." Matt observed quietly.

"That would have been rather insulting, don't you think?" Light said, deciding it was time for him to "claim his title".

"Be careful with your words asshole!" Mello spat, stepping closer to Light in an intimidating manner.

"I say what I want brat, last time I checked I was both older and had a higher title than you." Light said, mirroring Mello's action by stepping even closer to the teen.

"Oh? Pretending to be though? I'm fifteen, and you are what? Seventeen? Eighteen? You aren't that much older than me, and that title is something you acquired seconds ago, I'm still your senior." Mello said, pressing something cold and hard to Light's temple.

_A gun… so much for claiming my title peacefully…_

Light felt himself grin at Mello as he realized that he was being held at gunpoint by a fifteen year old boy. He felt a foreign sort of excitement at being challenged in such a way.

"Aren't you the one who's pretending?" Light said, his voice dripping with malicious glee. Light slowly lifted his hands to Mello's throat and held them there loosely.

"Of course not, I'm the head of the British Mafia. If anything I would say your life is a hindrance to me, so give me one good reason to not pull the trigger." Mello said smoothly, however his eyes had shown a slight hesitation.

Light saw that brief hesitation, and used that opportunity to slightly tighten his grip around Mello's neck. It was not enough to hinder the teen's breathing, but it did send a point across.

"Mafia or not, you won't pull that trigger, I can tell; you are bluffing." Light said, while a small voice in the back of his head tried to tell him to snap out of his sudden… _whatever _it was, however Light merely ignored it.

"That's not true!" Mello protested, however his words sounded weak and pathetic even in his own ears.

"I can see it in your eyes; you can't do it as you are now. I'll admit you have the potential, in a few years you might be able to kill another human being, however as you are now you simply can't do it; otherwise the albino over there would have been dead long ago." Light laughed as he finally saw what he had been waiting for; however brief it was he saw a flicker of genuine fear in Mello's eyes. Light felt how Mello's pulse raced through the artery in the blonde's neck.

Light tightened his grip even further. He knew the blonde would begin feeling uncomfortable at that point, but he was careful to avoid completely blocking his respiration.

"You… you're a monster…" Mello whispered so quietly that only Light was able to pick up the words.

"Perhaps…" Light said before he slowly let go and stepped back so that he was standing next to L again.

As soon as Light's grip was released Mello stumbled backwards to get away from the teen. Matt was just in time to catch Mello before the blonde boy humiliated himself further by falling. Light watched the spectacle with barely concealed amusement before he noticed that only Matt and Near were left. The rest of the kids had probably fled the room when the gun had been pulled out.

"I'm sure you'll have time to get better acquainted tomorrow, Light and I have travelled far and could both need some time to relax, we also need to go over some information about a certain case we are working on." L said before he grabbed Light's hand and dragged him to the top floor, where L knew Watari would have kept his old room free for him.

"What the hell was that?!" L said as soon as he had locked the door behind them. He turned towards Light and looked seriously at the teen.

"I… I don't know… I think… I think it was… _him…_" Light said, sounding confused and slightly scared.

-x-

**HIM? WAS IT REALLY ****HIM?!**** … who is "him"…?**

**You wanna know what happens next? Do you? **

**I do. **

**SO let's look forward to it! Seriously, Mello was such a fun person to write. Though I realized just now that he probably didn't get his connections with the mafia before after the time skip in the originals… so yeah, that's a little annoying, but Mello's probably gonna need his connections through my fic, so that'll be one of the few things I have to change from the original.**

**I WANT YOUR HELP AGAIN!**

**So, in that language war L and Light had in the middle of the chapter you might have noticed how I only wrote the Norwegian and Swedish, (and of course English but that one hardly counts) sentences, and not the others, that is because I do not know any of the other languages. X3**

**I'm currently learning Japanese and Spanish, but I do not trust my abilities to write those sentences, so if any of you are from any of the countries mentioned, then if you want to you could leave a comment or send a PM with the sentence in your language, so I can edit it and put it into the story, cause that would be so cool! :D**

***EDIT: **

**dystopian harmony provided me with a translation of the Spanish sentence, thank you very much.***

**Currently working on chapter 18 (ermahgerd, I'm far ahead o.o), and every other sentence I get stuck. Seriously, it takes me like five minutes to write on sentence, **_**that **_**is why I update as I do, and make sure to write ahead of my publishing (did that make sense?) , or else you would suddenly have to wait **_**so **_**long.**

**Anyway, I don't wanna spoil stuff for you, but chapter 18 is kind of special, so look forward to it.**

**If you liked it then feel free to favourite/follow me or my story, it's simple, really, you just push a few buttons right below here somewhere.**


	14. Chapter 14: Investigations

**I'M SOOOO SORRY! I meant to update on Friday as I promised, but I was sick, had a 40,2*C fever and all, so I couldn't even leave my bed. :c**

**So yeah, I'm a little better now, and I took some medicine for my headache a little while ago, so I'll just publish this chapter now before my headache returns full-force.**

**And yeah, if you thought the story was confusing up until now it'll get worse.. yay. Enjoy.**

-x-

"I… I don't know… I think… I think it was… _him…_" Light said, sounding confused and slightly scared.

L felt his stomach twist and had he not known it was impossible he would have thought his internal organs had dropped to the bottom of his stomach.

"I see…" Was all L managed to say, feeling as if he was going to throw up at any second; the Kira-part of Light was still able to control his actions in certain situations, and thus that possibility of Light killing him wasn't entirely gone yet.

"I did try to, kind of, resist, or something…" Light muttered, knowing that he had done far too little to stop the situation.

"That's very good Light, next time you'll try even harder." L said, trying to assure himself just as much as Light.

"So you think there is going to be a next time after all?" Light said. He felt defeated, weak. The way he had used to feel before vaccines in middle school; he knew it was going to be painful, however he had no choice in the matter, all he could do was wait for it to happen and make the best out of it. That was how Light felt, however this time the feeling was far more intense than it had ever been before, this time it was not about a trivial matter such as a vaccine. This time it was about life and death.

"Well, that's up to you isn't it?" L said.

"I guess… do we have some painkillers here?" Light said, rubbing his temples. He had forgotten all about his headache so far, but when he finally was in a calm environment again he was painfully reminded of it.

"Actually, I suggest you stay away from any medicine, you should drink some water and go to sleep instead. The very little used kitchenette is over there, and the bedroom is the one next to the windows on the left over there, and the bathroom is the room next to the bedroom." L said, pointing at the kitchenette and doors in turn as he told Light where everything he would need was.

"Ok, um, what will you be doing?" Light asked. He was already walking towards the small kitchenette to get himself a glass of cold water. The mere thought of cold refreshing water made his headache subside slightly.

"I will go down to the archives to search through the files of all the deceased Wammy children; the first generation is the most likely to have a suitable one, assuming we can locate the body." L said, more to himself rather than Light.

"Oh… ok. " Light said awkwardly before he hurried to the bathroom carrying a glass of water in his left hand.

-x-

Light awoke slowly to an unfamiliar room. He lay still for a few seconds, trying to reorient himself. It required a longer amount of time than Light would have liked, but finally, after a few minutes he finally remembered everything about how and why he and L had travelled to England… to Winchester… to Wammy's house… to L's childhood-home…

Light noticed a laptop on the nightstand with a piece of paper on top. He picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. It was a short note from L:

"_Feel free to use my laptop as you see fit should I still be gone by the time you wake up._

_The password is 'MoonLight'_

_L"_

Light couldn't help his smile as he finished reading the short note L had left him, the password was so obvious he wouldn't have thought of trying it had he ever attempted to guess L's password. Though he wouldn't go to such extreme measures, nor did he really have reason to.

Light frowned as a thought hit him, and suddenly he was on his feet, walking back and forth next to the luxurious bed he had slept in. Lights thoughts raced through his head as he struggled to "undo" his sudden discovery, or at least convince himself that it was a mere coincidence.

No matter how hard Light attempted to find loopholes in the theory he had unconsciously come up with he was unable to.

_The message carved into the flesh of the victim that died in Winchester clearly translated to "Wammy's house", in other words where I am right now. This is not a coincidence, I tried to search the internet for places called "Wammy's house", but I found none, so the only logical conclusion would be that it doesn't exist. This Wammy's house that I'm at right now only exist physically, there is no proof anywhere that it is real. So one could say that in this technologically dependent world Wammy's house does not exist… I'm getting lost in my own thoughts, no matter how many time I twist and turn the facts "Wammy's house" is still _here, _hoping that there is another place called Wammy's house is mere wishful thinking. _

Light paced back and forth a few more times before he sat down on the bed with L's laptop in his lap.

_Where did I hide that god-damn mail?! _Light thought, for once annoyed at his obnoxiously cautious nature, as he searched through his mail for the mail with the information and pictures from the crime-scene. Light had sent the mail from L to himself and then deleted all traced of it from L's mail account.

He knew that it would be easy for the detective to find the "lost" information again if he set his mind to it, however he doubted the detective would randomly stumble upon it, and he would certainly not search for something he didn't even know of.

After what felt like an eternity to Light, which in reality had only been a few minutes, he finally found the mail he had been searching for.

_Finally! _Light thought relived as he scrolled through the information. He did remember all of it but he wanted to be one hundred per cent sure that he made no mistakes; the case he was working on was far more serious than he had thought at first as it was directly connected to L, and ultimately himself.

_Let's start with the basics… The victim died December the 22__nd__, which was yesterday… His name was Arashi Carlson, not a particularly Japanese last-name, he was probably a half… he was 31 years old. The cause of death was probably blood loss from a wound in on his throat. There is a slight possibility he drowned in his own blood since he was lying on his back. The autopsy isn't very clear. They say they'll update it later when they know for sure._

Light absently rubbed his throat; he could clearly feel the uneven wounds, and knew they would form ugly scars. 

_The markings along his spine were cut with the same tool that slit his throat, presumably a scalpel. His shirt was blood-stained however it wasn't ripped, in other words the killer had put the shirt on _after _he had left his code. Why would he do such a thing? Wouldn't it be extremely difficult to put on a shirt on a dead body, especially if the body was in a state of rigor mortis? Why would the killer carve a code into the victims back that hinted at Wammy's house anyway? It shouldn't be possible that anyone except those who live here know of this place._

Light frowned as he thought of all the loose ends, when suddenly L's words came back to him. _"…we are probably more exposed than anyone to insanity, no-one would question it if any of us lost their minds…"_

_Could the culprit really be a former child from this orphanage? It seems like the only logical conclusion in this case. This is too difficult… I need to see the crime-scene myself…_

Light looked at the small numbers in the right bottom corner of the laptop screen.

_5.30 a.m. I slept for quite a long time. No matter, this is perfect. Even if it's still early I can go to the crime-scene now, it shouldn't take me too long to get there._

Light stared at the laptop for a few seconds, contemplating whether to take it with him or not. In the end Light decided that it would be safest to leave it; he couldn't risk any information about L leaking out to the public.

Light dressed as fast as he could before he hurried toward the door to L's little apartment. Light guessed that L was the only one who had an entire apartment to himself, the others had probably just small rooms.

Light pushed the door handle down and frowned. _why is the door so heavy?_ He thought confused as he leaned his entire weight in the door, feeling it slowly slide open.

Light hadn't been paying too much attention to his surroundings the night before; he had been more focused on the fact that L was dragging him by his arm to get away from everyone else as fast as possible.

Either way Light could vaguely remember being in a really old-fashioned corridor, so he had automatically assumed the entire building constructed that way. However it was most definitely not; before Light was a small room with metal walls and floor.

It had those disgusting white lights that were commonly found in hospitals, and the exit on the other side of a room wasn't a mere wood door; no, it was a thick metal door, and Light was willing to bet his brains that it was bulletproof.

_I see… L has been paranoid ever since he was a kid. _Light thought, sighing inwardly; the detective was too careful sometimes.

Light walked into the small room and closed the door behind himself, and as he had suspected what had appeared to me a normal wooden door from inside the apartment was in fact a thick metal door as well, matching the one opposite it.

_I wonder what sort of security mechanism he's got here… _Light thought distantly as he studied the walls and roof carefully. He walked back to the door he had entered from and carefully pulled it towards himself. Light was not surprised to find that the door had automatically been locked as soon as he had closed it.

_I guess both doors can't be open at the same time._ Light concluded. _There are no uneven surfaces in the walls, and the roof is too high for anyone to be able to reach, so there must be some sort of password or identity check that I have to pass through… I guess all I can do is wait._

Light crossed his arms as he leaned on one of the walls, waiting for something to happen.

While Light stood there waiting a thought crossed his mind and he frowned.

_How the hell could I have missed this entire spectacle yesterday? Was I really that out of it?!_

-x-

"_Achoo.." _L sneezed as he searched through the archives in the cellar in Wammy's house.

"Ugh… there is too much dust down here…" L muttered annoyed to himself.

-x-

When Light was beginning to wonder if he had been mistaken, a small touch-screen was lowered from the roof.

Light raised an eyebrow as he read what the screen said.

"_I am justice. I outshine the world, all can feel my warmth yet none can see my light._

_Who am I?_

_I move fast and without hesitation, leaving destruction in my wake. My goal is the sun, yet I won't ever reach it._

_Who am I?_

_I run through forests and along mountains, but no matter what I see and how far I reach I will never move._

_Who am I?_

_I have no goal, yet I'm closer to it than anyone and anything._

_Who am I?_

_I guide you in the darkness, yet I can't see without the sun._

_Who am I?_

_I used to be._

_Who was I?"_

_Is this some sort of threat? _Light thought exasperatedly as he reached out towards the screen.

-x-

**Ermahgerd, another riddle. Wanna try figuring it out?**

**So yeah you have to have read the manga to figure this one out.**

**HINT: the answer is names, not codenames but real ones.**

**So yeah, you might wonder why L doesn't just have a password, but a riddle, well there is a reason, and it'll be explained in a later chapter. So until then just bear with the seemingly randomness of it. Now after reading through the chapter my headache is already beginning to return, damn it…**

**I guess I'll go to bed now, goodnight everyone!**


	15. Chapter 15: Bambina

**Yes, I managed to publish this chapter on time for a change! So yeah, again that riddle seems very random, but I've thought it through, and it was the safest security system I could come up with, and again, you will get to know later in the story what makes it so secure.**

**So, enjoy! Less than three. No seriously 3.**

-x-

"_I am justice. I outshine the world, all can feel my warmth yet none can see my light._

_Who am I?_

_I move fast and without hesitation, leaving destruction in my wake. My goal is the sun, yet I won't ever reach it._

_Who am I?_

_I run through forests and along mountains, but no matter what I see and how far I reach I will never move._

_Who am I?_

_I have no goal, yet I'm closer to it than anyone and anything._

_Who am I?_

_I guide you in the darkness, yet I can't see without the sun._

_Who am I?_

_I used to be._

_Who was I?"_

_Is this some sort of threat? _Light thought exasperatedly as he reached out towards the screen.

_The first and the two last riddles are easy, but the third, fourth and fifth are not… These types of riddles are quite common. One describes an object vaguely as if it is a living being; however in this case I think they really are people described as objects. The first one is the sun, which represents L, so the answer to the first one would be "L Lawliet". It is fitting because almost everyone in this world knows of the great L and his achievements, yet no-one has actually seen him. Well, almost no-one._

_I think the second one is pointing at a hurricane, and if I were to guess I think it represents the guy called "Mello"… Unfortunately I don't know his real name. If this riddle also mirrors the personalities of the people here then I would say he is a person that doesn't care about laws, as long as he reaches his goal… His goal is here described as the sun, so I would assume the title of L is what he wants. If my assumption is correct then this guy was second in line to inherit L's title. This all seems to fit his behaviour yesterday, so his real name is probably the solution._

_The third one is obviously a river. It describes a calm person who has the ability to reach far, and who do things at his own pace. He is strong in his beliefs and no matter what experiences he receives he will not change his thoughts of the world. He is the kind of person who would have destroyed a Death Note as soon as he received one. It could be either the guy called matt or the guy called Near._

_The fourth one is extremely vague, and if anything I would say it describes a computer. Since a computer is not a living being, and thus it has no goals, yet it is able to process and communicate information faster than any living being. I would say it describes a person who doesn't even bother trying, yet he is closer to the goal everyone else wants to reach. It would be natural to assume that this is about the boy called Near, since he is first in line to succeed L, however Near himself was the one who openly stated that he was the first successor. Openly stating something like that is the same as bragging, in other words he wants to be where he is. Then I guess Near's real name is the solution to the third riddle, and Matt's real name is the solution to the fourth riddle._

_The fifth riddle describes the moon. The moon lights up the night, yet we wouldn't have been able to see it had it not been for the fact that the sun is reflected in the moon's surface. This point at an intelligent and brilliant person, who helps others, yet is "bound" by the "sun". In this case the sun is obviously L Lawliet, and the "moon" is obviously me. My name is even written with the kanji for moon… This part of the riddle must have been added recently… So the answer to the fifth riddle is "Light Yagami"._

_I must say that no matter how true the words written here are they are kind of harsh… I am Kira, and L is the only one who is able to protect me right now, and thus my future is in his hands._

_The sixth riddle is about death. The only "one", or rather "thing" I can think of here would be "Kira"… L is obviously determined to make me stop using the Death Note… I don't really mind though…_

_I only know half of the answer, and L knows this. He wouldn't really lock me in here on purpose would he? No, I don't think so…_

_Maybe I only have to fill in one part of the riddle to leave the room, and then the entire answer when I enter? That would make sense in a way…_

Light rubbed his temples in frustration, and then he decided to try to type in only L's name and see if the door leading out of the room opened.

Light typed in "L Lawliet" under the first riddle, and to his relief he heard a loud "click" resonate through the small room he was in; the exit had been unlocked.

Light walked over to the door that had opened, and pushed it open slowly. As soon as Light stepped out of the small room he had been in he gasped at the cold, oxygen-rich air that hit his lungs. Light's vision began to swim, and his hands and feet began going numb.

Light leaned on the door behind him, which had closed itself the moment he had let go of it.

_Damn it L, warn me about your traps _before _I walk straight into them… _Light thought annoyed as he regained his composure, and his dizziness went away.

When his head had cleared Light easily figured out why he suddenly had felt dizzy. In the small room he had been standing still the whole time, so he hadn't noticed the temperature rise and the oxygen level sink in the small room.

_If I had stayed there any longer I would probably have lost consciousness, and then I would have to stay there until L decided to return to his room._

"Are you OK, Moon? Or should I call you Moon-san? You look Japanese." Said a voice from right next to Light.

Light had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't seen the small girl, and had he had any less self-control he would have jumped at the sudden sound right next to him.

"We are in England now, so it's ok if you just call me Moon, "Moon-san" would automatically reveal where I'm from to everyone else anyway, and I'd like to stay as anonymous as possible." Light said, smiling at the little girl.

"But you just confirmed where you are from to me though, how do you know that I won't tell anyone?" The little girl asked. Light's eyebrows shot up at those words; the little girl, that looked like she was no more than 6 years old had analysed his words so thoroughly.

"You sure are a sharp one; I guess I can't let my guard down around anyone here. But you look Japanese yourself, so you'll keep it a secret right? As a fellow foreigner in this country." Light said, giving the girl the most brilliant smile he could produce.

"What makes you think I'm Japanese? I can just as well be Korean or Chinese." The little girl said, smirking at the older boy, thinking that she had outwitted him.

When the girl had spoken those words Light couldn't help himself; he smiled genuinely at the little girl next to him, she was just too adorable, even in Light's eyes. It was also refreshing for Light to talk to someone who was less than half his age and still able to follow his words and train of thought better than anyone he had met before, except for L of course.

"The same way you realized that I am Japanese; intuition. Only a native can recognize another native in the Asian countries." Light said.

"Oh. Ok." She said, not having any other comebacks.

"Don't feel bad, I'm far older than you, you know; I have more experience in life than you." Light said, and patted the girls head, feeling oddly fond of her, even though he had just met her.

"Ok… oh, I never told you my name! … My name is a secret!" The girl said, giggling.

Normally Light would have found such a statement annoying, however for some odd reason he didn't find the girl before him annoying at all.

"Mine is too, but could I have the honour of knowing your codename?" Light asked. Then he took her hand in his and bent down to kiss it, pretending to be a gentleman. This made the girls giggles increase in volume.

"My codename is Bambina." She said, saying it with the Italian pronunciation.

"Well aren't you a lucky one. How old are you?" Light asked.

"I'll turn six tomorrow!" The girl replied happily.

"Really? On the 24th of December? Then I must be sure to get you a nice gift." Light said.

"Really? Yay!" The girl replied happily, hugging Lights waist.

"Bambina, there is something I'd like to ask of you; I wondered if you could show me the way to the exit of this building." Light asked. He had realized during his conversation with the energetic Bambina that he had no idea where the exit was located. Things had happened so fast the night before, so he hadn't had the time to look around and memorize the way.

"Of course! But why do you want to know? We aren't allowed to leave this place alone." Bambina said, tilting her head quizzically in an adorable manner.

"Well, I'm sure L wouldn't mind, I need to check some things related to a murder-case I'm working on. I also have to buy you a gift." Light said, his smile still in place.

"Are you really allowed to work on L's cases?" The girl asked in awe.

"Well, yes, that is how we met." Light said, unsure whether it was wise to answer or not.

"Wow… ok, I'll show you the exit!" Bambina said, then she grabbed Light's hand and began walking through the corridors towards the stairs.

-x-

L shivered as he searched through the files. He had currently only found one possible candidate, and was beginning to think that there were no others.

_I wouldn't want to expose A even though I know for a fact the he went insane, as he ended up committing suicide… His death is too long ago though; it would be difficult to track his body._

"_Achooo" _L sneezed again; he had been doing that a lot since he had entered the archive.

_Ah, this dust is so annoying. My throat is beginning to feel dry as well… And my body is slightly heavier than usual… I guess I should take a break to consume some sweets. That always helps me feel better. _L thought as he put down the folders in his hands.

-x-

"Here is the exit!" Bambina exclaimed happily as she and Light finally reached the door which he and L and had entered through the night before.

"Thank you." Light said, moving to open the door. Bambina nodded and smiled widely, showing all her teeth before she turned on her heel and disappeared around a corner.

"You _do _know you need a password to get out of here, right?" A voice said from behind Light, and for the second time that day Light thanked his self-control for making him able to avoid jumping to the roof every time something startled him.

"I assumed as much, yeah." Light said, turning slowly towards the person who had spoken, showing that he wasn't in a hurry.

Light had to supress a sigh as he stood face to face with none other than Mello.

"From your words I take it that you don't know the password then." Mello said smugly.

"Should I be worried about the fact that you aren't acting scared anymore?" Light asked.

"Moon-kun, ever heard of the term "leverage" before?" Mello asked, one of his eyebrows rose out of sight behind his bangs.

Light had been about to turn back to the door again, expecting Mello to retreat once he spoke, however Mello's words made him stop.

"What do you want?" Light asked.

-x-

**Wut? Mello actually dares to bribe Light? O.o I'm impressed.**

**So yea, what did you think about Bambina? She probably won't get a too large role in the fic, but I thought she'd be cute, tehe.**

**Sooo, what did you think? Also Silent whispers for help is **_**probably **_**nearing its end, so if you read any of my other fics, then you could go to my profile and vote for what fic I should prioritize next. It's at the top of the page, this poll-thingy. So yeah, hope you're all having a nice advent (not sure if that's what it's called in english, lol, wut, bye.)**

**Thanks for reading! 3**


	16. Chapter 16: The crime scene

**Merry Christmas everyone! Since it's Christmas and all I made this chapter a little longer than usual! :D**

**And I'm so sorry about the delay, I had forgotten to send the chapter to my beta, and then suddenly I remembered a few days ago. Then it seemed as if we were going to make it, and I'd be able to publish on Friday as I promised, when she landed herself in the hospital. D:**

**Luckily she is ok, and all, so I hope you forgive our clumsy co-operation. ^^"**

**Enjoy!**

-x-

"Moon-kun, ever heard of the term "leverage" before?" Mello asked, one of his eyebrows rose out of sight behind his bangs.

Light had been about to turn back to the door again, expecting Mello to retreat once he spoke, however Mello's words made him stop.

"What do you want?" Light asked, alarmed that Mello had attached an honorific to his codename.

"Well you see, the thing is I happened to overhear your conversation with Bambina, and I really want to join you on your little business trip. I want to see what sort of cases L's working on." Mello said.

"I'm sorry but that's confidential information." Light said stiffly, knowing that even if Mello was less intelligent than himself Mello was far from stupid. The "leverage" Mello had would definitely be heavy.

"What if I told you that the alarm will go off if you attempt to open the gate? L's, Watari's or Roger's handprint is necessary to be able to open it, as well as the password I mentioned. I can get you out of here without any of that." Mello said smugly; Light couldn't turn him down.

"How?" Light asked suspiciously; it seemed too good to be true.

"The guy behind me." Mello said simply, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

Light leaned slightly to the side to see who it was.

"Matt? Seriously? Had It been Near then maybe I would have believed you, but-" Light cut himself off as he remembered the riddle he had to solve to get out of L's apartment.

"_I have no goal, yet I'm closer to it than anyone and anything."_

_Could it be that this Matt guy has something that the ones above him doesn't? _Light thought as he studied the redhead. Matt was consumed in his Gameboy, not even looking up to greet Light.

"He is number three you know." Mello said.

"I'm fourth now." Matt corrected, earning a glare from the blonde boy.

"So, what is so special about the fourth successor that he can get us out of here without setting off the alarms?" Light asked sceptically.

"Computers. His strong-point is computers. His skills with computers even exceed that of L's." Mello said. Light frowned as he heard something akin to _pride _in the blonde's voice.

_Why would a guy who hates everyone that is better than him sound _proud _on someone else's behalf? They do seem to be friends since Matt is willing to help Mello like this, but that is a bit extreme even for friends. Could they be…? _Light had to fight down a blush as the thought hit him, and pictures of L kissing him flashed before his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Mello asked almost hopefully; anything he could use as leverage after he had helped Light out of Wammy's was welcome.

"No." Light said, not sounding very convincing.

Matt looked up from his Gameboy as he heard the cocky brunette answer in such a lame way. He looked at Light and spotted the slight pinkness on his neck; it hadn't quite reached his cheeks yet, Light was probably trying to supress a blush.

Matt silently raised an eyebrow at Light's reaction to what could have been nothing but him realizing the relationship between Mello and himself. He considered telling Mello about the possibility of homophobia in the brunette, but thought better of it.

"Tell me, how old are you Matt?" Light asked quickly, trying to change subject.

"He is fourteen. Near is thirteen if you wondered, so I'm the oldest one out of the top three." Mello answered. Matt had already gone back to his gaming, so no answers were to be expected from him.

"The second oldest out of the top four." Matt corrected, once again earning an angry glare from the blonde boy.

"Yeah, I'm seventeen." Light added, smirking at Mello, whose face was going red with anger.

"Whatever, let's go to our room. Matt can access the security system from his computer there." Mello said before he turned on his heel and headed towards the stairs, not bothering to look back to see if the two other boys followed him or not.

-x-

"L, are you feeling alright? It's not like you to lie down and fall asleep out in the rain." Watari said as he served the detective a piece of chocolate cake.

"Yes Watari, I'm sure." L said, looking at the cake in front of him.

"How can you be so sure?" Watari asked, not ready to let the case go just yet; he was worried about his ward. The fact that L had done such a foolish thing could only mean that the news about his parents had shaken him up far more than he'd let on.

"If I caught something I would have shown symptoms already." L said stubbornly.

"You don't know that for certain, you're hardly ever sick. Can't you let me take a look at you?" Watari asked.

"I'm fine I said. Period. End of discussion. Now I'd like for you to leave me alone for a bit." L said sourly.

Watari sighed at his wards stubbornness before he quietly left the kitchen.

-x-

"Done. The security systems will be down for two hours. We will have to be back before then." Matt said after having hacked into Wammy's security systems.

"Two hours? Is that enough?" Mello asked, looking at Light.

"You didn't expect it to be easy to hack into the great L's and Watari's security systems did you?" Matt said defensively.

"I think it's enough time; it's not very far from here." Light said.

"Ok, then let's go!" Mello said enthusiastically, completely ignoring Matt.

-x-

"I wonder what Light is doing right now…" L said absently to himself as he chewed his cake.

"Who is Light?" A monotone voice asked from behind L.

"Hello Near… Light is one of the detectives I worked with in Japan." L said, not missing a beat. It wasn't outright a lie, he merely withheld a small piece of the truth.

"I see. Is there any cake here for me too?" Near asked after he had walked over to the table L was sitting at.

"Yeah, Watari left the cake on the kitchen platform over there, in case I wanted some more." L said, pointing in the general direction of the cake.

"Oh, never mind then." Near said after he noticed that the cake wasn't cut into pieces; he wasn't very good at doing things in the kitchen, as a matter of fact there were few things he actually was good at, if you look away from his affinity with puzzles. Near sat down by the table, right opposite of where L was sitting.

L looked at the albino boy questioningly, wondering why he had changed his mind about wanting cake.

"I was wondering about this Moon-guy… how did you find him?" Near asked. It was an innocent question, but L felt himself tense slightly.

"He worked with me on the Kira-case." L said simply, not wanting to give away to many details.

"How can you know for sure that he is equal to you?" Near asked, his face showing no emotion what-so-ever, despite the curiosity he felt.

"Well it was in fact very easy for me to tell through all of our discussions about the case that he was far above average, so I began testing him, and soon I realized all of his deductions were similar to my own, and he came up with them just as fast as I myself did." L explained.

"But do you know whether he is mentally stable or not?" Near asked.

L hesitated. He wasn't sure what would be the best answer.

"No, however he very much hates to lose, not unlike myself." L said, hoping the albino wouldn't pry any further.

"I see…" Near said, and to L's great relief the albino was done with his questions. Near stood, and moved toward the door out of the kitchen when a thought hit L.

"Oh, Near, have you seen Moon today?" L asked.

"No, I haven't, Mello mentioned something about looking for him, but I don't really speak that much to Mello, so I don't know where he went." Near said, then he left.

_I guess he is still in my room, that or stuck in the security chamber… I guess I'll go check up on him. _L thought.

L stood from his chair, turning swiftly towards the door, immediately regretting it as his head began spinning and everything around him became blurry. He reached for the chair, intending to support himself until his dizziness went away; however he missed, and ended up falling flat on his side.

L closed his eyes, trying to will the dizziness away, and to his great relief it did after a short while.

L got to his feet slowly, then he took a few careful steps towards the door. It didn't seem as if he was going to faint anytime soon, so he began walking normally after that.

_I guess I should be careful with standing too fast when I have been sitting still for an extended period of time. The sudden rush of blood to my head can make me faint if I'm not careful… _thought L as he headed towards his room.

When L had solved the riddle and entered his room he frowned; Light wasn't there.

L checked the bedroom first, but all that was there were the furniture that very much belonged there, and his laptop, which lay alone on his king size bed. When L had made sure Light was not in the bedroom he checked the bathroom, which was empty as well.

L looked at the door to the room he had spent most of the time during his childhood; his "office". L had kept the room locked up securely because he didn't want anyone to get in there without L himself being present to make sure they did no damage to his precious computers.

_Could Light have gotten in there somehow? _L wondered, and decided that it was worth to take a look, just in case.

L didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when he realized that Light was not in his office either. It meant that no damage could possibly have been done to his precious computers; however that also meant that he had gotten no further in his search for Light.

_Where is he then…? _L wondered, slightly annoyed at the fact that he was unable to find Light in what he considered his own home.

-x-

"Do you have permission to enter?" Asked the policeman that guarded Arashi Carlson's apartment, where Arashi had been killed, as Light told him that they wanted to go in.

"Well, yes, my name is Ryuuzaki, I'm a private detective, and I'm here to investigate the murder of Arashi Carlson. I work for L." Light lied, hoping it would be enough. Light had been stressed out by his new discovery that morning, so he hadn't really thought of how they were supposed to get past the police that surely would be guarding the murder scene.

"Ryuuzaki…" The policeman said with a weird smile on his face.

"Yes…?" Light said, hesitating slightly, there was something off about the man in front of him.

"Just give me one second, I'll allow you some time alone in this apartment, just let me clear out the policemen that already are here. Oh, and here is a report with all we know so far." The policeman said, handing a folder to Light, who handed it to Mello; Light had already read through those files several times.

The policeman picked up a bag, and slung it over his shoulder. This motion caused some sort of clonking noise to emit from the bag, as if it contained lots of glass. Light frowned, but decided against asking the police officer about it.

They could hear the police officer talk to a couple of other people, telling them all to take a break, before the police officers all exited the apartment.

"There you go. Good luck." One of the police officers said as he passed them.

"That was easy…" Mello said, stunned at how things had developed.

"Too easy…" Light said distantly.

"Huh?" Mello said, not sure he had heard the brunette correctly.

"It's Nothing. Let's enter, you can look through the report while I begin looking around; I've already read the report." Light suggested. He entered the apartment, followed by Mello and Matt, who both went straight to the table in the living room, where they sat down to read through the reports on the case.

"Ugh… that's so grotesque…" Mello said as he studied the photos of the dead Arashi Carlson.

"Yeah, I know…" Light said. He hadn't told any of the other two what the carvings on the victims spine meant, and the other two seemed too distracted by the fact that the murderer had been able to do such a disgusting thing to think about it, though Light didn't doubt for a second that sooner or later they would be able to solve it.

"Moon, come look at this." Matt's voice said from the bedroom in the small apartment. Light sighed and walked into the bedroom to see what the boy had found.

"Look at this." Matt said, pointing at the bookshelf. Light looked at the bookshelf and frowned; it was stuffed with books about japan. Some books were dictionaries, and some were about the culture in japan.

"I don't get it, what is so special about this?" Light asked. The victim had been a man of Japanese descent; it wasn't weird for him to be interested in japan.

"I don't know. I just wanted to see if you were able to find anything out of the ordinary here." Matt said, shrugging as he went back to searching the room for evidence.

Light felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance as he watched the redhead carelessly continue his search.

"Fine, then I'll go back to the living room to continue looking around; I would appreciate it if you didn't bother me unless you found something important." Light bit out, before he turned on his heel and walked out of the small bedroom.

"Moon-kun?" Mello said, knowing he would annoy Light by attaching a Japanese honorific to the end of his codename.

"Yes, Mello-dramatic?" Light snapped back.

"How did you manage to get the police officer that was guarding this place to agree to let us look around in here on our own? I mean, did you call him beforehand or something?" Mello asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Business secrets." Light said, knowing it would annoy the blonde to no end. In truth Light didn't really know himself why the police officer had let him in so easily. It also bothered him that the police officer had seemed to look above him instead of _at _him. Light expected Mello to retort with an insult, however instead of some lame insult all he heard was Mello's annoying ringtone.

Light turned to look at the blonde when he didn't answer his phone. Mello was staring at his cell phone with a confused look on his face.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Matt asked; he had apparently stopped his searching to see who was calling.

"Yeah…" Mello said slowly as he hit the green button and moved the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Mello said slowly. The person on the other end of the line began talking, and Mello's expression went from confused, to surprised.

"How'd you get my number?" Mello asked. The other person continued talking, and slowly Mello's face became paler and paler.

"Impossible…" Mello said to the phone. He seemed as if he wanted to hang up and pretend whatever he was told was all a lie, however something kept him from doing so.

"It must be a fake. The case was well known in the U.S., hell, it was well known in the entire world, anyone with decent mental capabilities could do this." Mello said. The person on the other end didn't seem to have much more to say since he hung up soon after Mello's little speech.

Mello looked at the phone with barely concealed disbelief.

"Who was it?" Matt was the first one to break the silence in the little apartment.

"L." Mello said slowly, as if saying the words would make them less true. Light frowned.

"Are you sure?" Light asked, his voice slightly sharper than he had intended. He winched and hoped the blonde wouldn't be too offended to answer.

"Yeah." Mello said simply. Light could tell the blonde believed his own words, however Light found it hard to believe that L would call Mello instead of himself. And if it was L how did he know about the case? If it was the case he was currently working on under L's name that had been the subject.

_Did L really call Mello? _Light wondered as he turned back to what he was doing earlier.

-x-

**There you go! So, who was the mysterious caller, was it really L?**

**I mentioned in the last chapter or something that the story might be coming to an end, well… it's not! I realized after writing five more chapters that I will probably end up with around thirty chapters or something, maybe even more than that.**

**You see shit is about to get serious… finally.**

**So please tell me what you think! And there's a little new-years surprise for you in chapter 18, so look forward to it! 3**


	17. Chapter 17: Secrets

**Sorry, again, for the delay, at least it's not as bad as the last chapter ^^**

**So yeah, the investigation continues.**

**Enjoy! 3**

-x-

"Fuck…" Light said out loud, only to clasp his hand over his mouth, hoping Matt and Mello hadn't heard him. Light's thoughts were racing through his head as he stared at the small piece of paper in his hand. It had a few simple words written on them; however they changed everything about the case. _Again._

Light shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had been thinking about the meaning behind the carvings on the victims back. It had been quite obvious that it meant "Wammy's house", and then a random thought had hit him; that maybe it wasn't necessarily supposed to symbolize Wammy's house in itself, but rather something that is there, but isn't supposed to be.

When Light first had thought about it he had felt as if he was forcing it all, that there was no way _that _could be what the criminal had meant. Despite this he decided to search the apartment with the intention to find something that didn't belong there.

The police report had said that all food had been removed from the apartment before they arrived at the crime scene. Light had noticed this fact when he first read the police report, since it was pretty unusual for a murderer to remove all food in the apartment. So with this thought in mind Light had gone looking for food in the small apartment.

Light hadn't ever imagined he would actually find anything, since that would mean the murderer would have returned to the crime scene, and that was highly unlikely. Despite this Light _had _found food in the apartment's fridge. A jar of jam to be more specific. It had been half-full and a small, folded piece of paper had been taped to the lid.

Light had taken off the paper and unfolded it. The paper had a few simple words written on it:

"_This time you have no Naomi Misora to help you, L."_

Light immediately recognized the name of the ex-FBI agent that he had killed. She had been good, extremely good, and it did not surprise Light that she had worked with L before.

_Wait… before? That's right! Right after she died L mentioned that he worked together with her once, what was the name of the case again…? Gah, I can't remember…_

"What is it Moon?" Matt asked from behind Light. Light tensed, what was he to do? He couldn't let Matt or Mello know; this was too important. Light tucked the small piece of paper into his pocket, and tilted the jar of jam quietly so that the jam flowed out in the fridge, then he silently put the jar down so that it looked as if Light had accidentally knocked the jar over.

"I found a jar of jam in the fridge, and then I managed to knock it over when I intended to pick it up." Light lied, hoping the very observant Matt wouldn't detect his lie.

"Oh, that blows, just leave it, the police will clean it up." Matt said, shrugging as he left the kitchen.

Light closed the fridge in and walked back into the living room.

"I'm done here, let's leave." Light said to the other two.

"Are you sure?" Mello asked; they had only been there for forty-five minutes, they still had nearly an hour left before they had to leave.

"Yeah. You have some sort of archive at Wammy's right? I would like to search through it for some old cases, they might be connected." Light said.

"I doubt it." Mello said a little too fast. Light's head snapped in his direction. He pierced Mello with his gaze, frowning as a thought hit him.

_What is it that he knows that I don't? Is it connected to the phone-call earlier?_

"Why?" Light asked, his voice sharp. He could see Mello wince, but he didn't care.

"Just a hunch…" Mello said slowly. Light knew there was no point in trying to convince Mello to tell him what he knew.

_Threatening him would mean _he _might take over again… Negative feelings grants Kira an opportunity to take over… _Light knew as soon as the thought passed through his mind that is was the truth.

"Either way, let's go." Light said, heading toward the door.

Matt and Mello shared a look behind Light's back before they followed the brunette.

-x-

L had checked the kitchen _again, _for the third time, as well as all the other rooms in Wammy's house that Light might be, and _still _he was unable to find the brunette.

_This is beginning to get on my nerves… scratch that, it was _beginning _to get on my nerves as soon as I realized he wasn't in my room, by now I am thoroughly annoyed… _L thought._ That's it; I'm checking the surveillance cameras!_

Despite having decided not to do just that at the beginning of his search, L's patience had run out by then so as to save himself from any more stress he decided it would be better to just check the surveillance cameras.

L walked straight into the surveillance room, not bothering to knock beforehand. Roger was the only one in there.

"Give me access to the video from the surveillance cameras in the corridor right outside my room. Play it from about 5 am this morning." L demanded, not giving any explanations.

"Done." Roger said. He wanted to ask L why he wanted to see the video feed from one of the many corridors at Wammy's, however the genius detective rarely ever showed any emotions, so when he for once acted annoyed he had to be so. Beyond what a normal person would be able to handle without destroying something. Or killing someone…

With this in mind Roger decided to follow orders obediently.

L watched as the Wammy children passed by that corridor in particular every now and then until, finally, Light emerged from the door leading to L's room. He looked dizzy, and as soon as the door behind him slid shut he leaned on it to stay on his feet.

_That's what you get for wasting time in the security chamber… _L thought, and immediately regretted it; Light had had no way of knowing that the temperature would rise and the oxygen level would sink inside the small chamber. _I should have warned him beforehand…_

He watched as one of the younger children that lived in Wammy's house approached Light, and engaged in a conversation with him.

L fast-forwarded through the conversation, not wanting to pry in Light's business; all he wanted to know was where the teen was…

-x-

"Are you sure you don't want me to show you the way to the archives?" Mello asked for the fifth time.

"No Mello, I do not want you to show me the way, is that so hard to understand?" Light said annoyed. Why did the obnoxious teen care all of a sudden, didn't he hate him the day before?

"Yes it is." Mello said, not noticing how Light's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at his words.

"Look, I don't get why you would want to help me, however this is important." Light said, his voice dangerously low.

"Because I respect you." Mello said. He hadn't noticed how Light's voice had dropped, nor how Matt was tugging at his arm, trying to warn him.

"Oh really." Light said, cracking his knuckles, the same malicious smile upon his face as the evening before. "Let me clear things up; you are _not _to follow me anywhere for the rest of the day, I have _important _business to take care of. _Understood?_"

Mello shivered as he remembered the fear he had felt the day before.

"Yes." Mello said, before Matt finally lost his patience with the blonde, and dragged him away to their room.

_Finally… _Light thought relived to be rid of the blonde and redhead. Light hadn't noticed his own change of demeanour as he chased Matt and Mello away. _I've got to hurry, I have a bad feeling about all of this._

-x-

L stared in disbelief at the monitor in front of him; Light had actually _left _Wammy's house with Matt and Mello. L fast-forwarded to see when Light returned. _If he has returned yet… _L thought.

To his relief Light had indeed returned with his two accomplices, and was currently arguing with Mello.

_At least I know where he is now… _L thought as he hurried towards the entrance, where he knew he would find Light.

-x-

Light hurried towards third floor where he assumed Watari's office would be.

_I hope Watari is willing to give me access to the archives… _Light thought as he hurried up the stairs.

-x-

"He is hiding something." Matt deadpanned as he and Mello settled down on his bed in their small room.

"I know." Mello said, annoyed.

"And he knows you are hiding something as well." Matt said, thinking about the phone call Mello had received while they were at the crime scene.

"I know." Mello snapped, he knew he could have handled that situation better.

"So, what did L tell you on the phone?" Matt asked.

Mello sighed as he began explaining what had happened in the small apartment.

_-flashback-_

_Mello stared at his phone, feeling confused; the caller had a hidden ID, and the only ones who knew his phone number was Watari, Roger and Matt, so who could be calling?_

"_Aren't you going to answer it?" Matt asked._

"_Yeah…" Mello said slowly as he hit the green button and lifted the phone to his ear._

"_Hello…?" Mello said slowly._

"_Hello Mihael Keehl, You can call me Ryuuzaki." The voice on the other end of the phone said. The voice was stoic, and Mello immediately thought of L. He couldn't hide the surprise he felt, why would L be calling him?_

"_How'd you get my number?" Mello asked, wanting to be sure this really was L._

"_How do you think I got your number? It was a simple matter really. Anyhow, that is not what I called to talk to you about. You followed Moon today when he went to investigate the crime scene where Arashi was murdered. I just received an update to the police's report; it says that when they checked for fingerprints they were unable to find any. It does not mean what it usually means; it means that they couldn't find a single fingerprint, neither from the murderer or the victim. The murderer has apparently wiped clean every surface in the entire apartment." Ryuuzaki said._

"_Impossible…" Mello said. He felt the colour drain from his face, this all had happened before; but he didn't want it to be true, or rather it couldn't be true._

"_I know, that's what I thought too. At first you would think that maybe that is because the murderer knew the victim, and had visited him frequently before, and couldn't remember where he had and where he hadn't touched, however he even unscrewed the light bulbs and wiped the sockets, this is definitely connected to that case." Ryuuzaki said, his voice betraying no emotion._

"_It must be a fake. The case was well known in the U.S., hell, it was well known in the entire world, anyone with decent mental capabilities could do this." Mello said._

"_You might be right, but what if you aren't?" Ryuuzaki said before he hung up._

_Mello looked at the cell phone in his hand with barely concealed disbelief._

_-flashback over-_

"Well, fuck." Matt said as Mello was done with his retelling of the strange phone call.

"I know… this is bad, really bad." Mello said.

"Mello, I think Moon found something on the crime scene." Matt said, remembering how unnatural the teen had acted when he had checked up on him in the kitchen.

"What? When?" Mello asked.

"After the phone call, he went to look through the kitchen. He just said "fuck" or something, and I went to see if anything was wrong, he claimed to have knocked over a jar of jam that stood in the fridge." Matt explained.

"But all food was cleared out of the apartment before the police even arrived at the crime-scene, the policeman who guarded that place gave us the police report and the autopsy for whatever reason, so why would there be a jar of jam there?" Mello asked.

"Exactly." Matt said.

"Shit…" Mello said, rubbing his temples to soothe his headache.

-x-

**Lots of people get headaches in this fic… maybe it's contagious. **

**Anyway I hope you enjoyed that. Feel free to tell me what you think in the shape of a review or PM or something, and if you liked it then you could favourite/follow the story, and it'll be easier for you to know when new chapters are uploaded ^^**

**So yeah, thanks for reading.**


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